Skip to main content
New: SDS Scanner — scan any chemical label
OSHA Scan logoOSHA Scan

U.S. Compliance Documents & Programs

Build your workplace safety document system

Start with OSHA’s General Industry Quick Start, explore 11 program guides, and turn the requirements that apply to your workplace into organized documents and review-ready drafts.

Find required US posters

OSHA Scan Editorial

Compliance Documents & Program Hub

Practical safety documentation, steps, and templates for U.S. employers. Not a generic legal encyclopedia — action-oriented guides for building your site-specific safety programs.

Editorial illustration of industrial operations and workplace safetyEditorial illustration of a safety manager reviewing chemical documentationEditorial illustration of emergency planning and evacuation routes

AI-generated editorial illustrations, not customer sites or evidence of compliance.

General Industry Safety Quick Start Guide

A practical discovery sequence for turning general-industry safety obligations into owned programs, training, and records.

1

OSHA Requirements That Apply to Most General Industry Employers

Begin with a short register of baseline topics rather than copying every plan found online. Check the recordkeeping framework, hazard communication when covered chemicals are present, workplace conditions, training, and the general duties that fit the actual work. Record the Part 1910 subpart or Part 1904 section you checked and mark uncertain items for qualified review. Useful fields are establishment, process, trigger fact, source URL or section, decision, owner, open question, and evidence location. Implementation question: if a reviewer disagrees with a row, can they see which fact led to the decision and what new fact would reopen it?

2

OSHA Requirements That May Apply to Your Workplace

Interview the people who maintain equipment, handle materials, respond to emergencies, and supervise work. Their answers reveal conditional programs: lockout/tagout for servicing, respiratory protection when respirators are necessary or required, hearing conservation at the action level, fall protection at the applicable surface or equipment trigger, and permit-space duties where a qualifying space exists. The trigger, not the plan's name, decides what belongs in scope.

3

Survey Your Workplace for Additional Hazards

Walk each task and route with employees, then turn observations into a risk-ranked work list. Look beyond what a camera can see: energy sources, line-of-fire exposure, atmospheric conditions, sound dose, chemical compatibility, emergency access, and changes between shifts require records or measurement. A job safety analysis can connect each step to a control, person, and verification method. Illustrative scenario: a photo shows a clear aisle on day shift, while the night walk finds staging carts narrowing the route; the record names the shift, affected roles, temporary control, owner, and field check. Escalate when the observation suggests exposure, isolation, fit, atmosphere, or another fact that requires qualified assessment rather than visual review.

4

Develop a Comprehensive Jobsite Safety and Health Program

Convert the register into a manageable program architecture: a policy, topic-specific procedures, training paths, inspections, corrective-action workflow, and document control. “Comprehensive” means the system addresses the hazards found; it does not mean every employer needs every named OSHA plan. Give each procedure an owner, revision date, affected work, and escalation path. Build a cross-reference with trigger, procedure, form, training, verifier, retention or posting instruction, and superseded-version location. Decide who can approve an exception, what evidence is sufficient to close an action, and when an unresolved question stops the job instead of being carried as a note.

5

Train Your Employees

Build training from job duties and the procedures employees must perform, not from attendance alone. Include new-hire, reassignment, new-equipment, refresher, and incident-driven paths where the applicable standard calls for them. Demonstration and evaluation matter for tasks such as respirator use, forklift operation, energy control, emergency roles, and PPE selection. For onboarding, map each role, task, hazard, and standard; use language and vocabulary employees understand; and record demonstrated skill, trainer/date, and the rule-specific renewal or change trigger. Coordinate site and task training between host supervisors and staffing agencies for temporary workers; an agreement does not transfer OSHA duties.

6

Recordkeeping, Reporting and Posting

Keep these verbs separate. Determine whether an injury or illness is recordable under Part 1904; report severe events on the required deadline; post notices or summaries when required; and retain program records according to their own rules. A company with no more than 10 employees at any time in the last calendar year may qualify for a routine-recordkeeping exemption, but that is not an exemption from severe-event reporting. An event file should identify the facts known, decision-maker, standard or official instruction consulted, notification time, posting location or reason not applicable, and follow-up owner. Implementation question: who can make the first call on a weekend, and how does that person hand the recordability decision to the recordkeeper without exposing restricted medical detail?

7

Find Additional Compliance Assistance Information

Use OSHA's standard text, compliance-assistance pages, consultation resources, and State Plan information to resolve open questions. Save the source and access date in the applicability register so a later owner can retrace the decision. For an incident, exposure, citation, energized task, or permit-space entry, use the controlling text and obtain qualified safety, legal, or medical advice rather than treating this overview as a determination. Completion evidence is a dated decision trail: source checked, site fact confirmed, reviewer, affected document or training, communication audience, and verification after implementation. If the source is unclear or facts conflict, record the uncertainty and escalate rather than converting a recommendation into a requirement.

Read the full Quick Start Guide

HR checklist: connect people, training, and safety records

Give HR, supervisors, and the safety lead clear responsibilities before work starts. These are practical coordination tips; the applicable standard determines training, documentation, and renewal requirements.

  • Onboard for the actual assignment.Match each role and task to its hazards, required instruction, and demonstrated skills. Coordinate site-specific training for temporary workers.
  • Check understanding, not just attendance.Use language and vocabulary workers understand, demonstrations, and questions. Set refreshers by the relevant rule and change triggers—not a blanket annual rule.
  • Make PPE follow-through visible.Record selection and fit, explain care and replacement, and assign supervisors to address damaged or unsuitable equipment.
  • Close findings with evidence.Use risk-based walkthroughs. Assign each correction an owner and target date, address immediate danger, and verify the fix in the workplace.
  • Keep the right records accessible.Make current safety instructions easy to find. Restrict sensitive medical and personal incident information to authorized access.
  • Prepare for changes and inspections.Name a regulatory-update owner and an inspection contact. Check required notices, document versions, and outstanding actions.
Read the detailed HR and safety-program workflowFurther reading: Traba’s HR checklist (third-party article)

Site-specific starter drafts

Start the safety document your site needs

Choose an existing document type, add your project context after creating a free account, and prepare review-ready instructions for the organization library.

How the workflow works

1

Details

Add the site, scope, and supported industry or jurisdiction context.

2

Draft

Review populated instructions before a manager chooses Generate draft.

3

Qualified review

Select relevant standards/resources and verify applicability and completeness before use.

Important scope note: These are OSHA Scan starter/draft workflows for the three existing document types above—not a full HAZWOPER Health and Safety Plan (HASP), certification, or guarantee that every site element is covered. Photo or AI output cannot establish site completeness. Official references may be general; a qualified reviewer must select relevant standards/resources and verify currentness and applicability before use.

Centralize your safety files

Bring all your critical safety documents into a single, organized library. OSHA Scan securely stores your custom policies alongside official government guidance so your team always knows exactly where to look.

  • Upload existing PDF policies and site plans
  • Browse official OSHA QuickCards and manuals
  • Create draft templates for qualified review

Your safety resource library

Your organization’s documents

Policies, site plans, and reviewed procedures.

Official safety guidance

OSHA publications, QuickCards, and source links.

Mobile View
Download

Anytime, anywhere access

Safety information is useless if it's locked in the office. Provide your supervisors and workers with instant access to critical documents directly from their mobile devices while on the job site.

Control versions and procedures

Ensure your team is always using the most up-to-date procedures. Maintain a single source of truth for your safety program, making it easy to archive old policies and publish new ones across all your locations.

  • Clear version tracking for policies
  • Status labels for out-of-date official resources
  • Confident preparation for safety audits
Current
Safety Manual v3.0

Last verified: Today

Archived
Safety Manual v2.1

Instant PDF Downloads

These printable resources are account-protected. Create a free account to instantly download our most popular checklists and guides.

OSHA Job-Site Safety Checklist

Printable checklist covering key job-site hazard categories.

Hazard Communication Pictogram QuickCard

A quick reference for OSHA/GHS hazard communication pictograms.

OSHA Scan Services Overview

An overview of OSHA Scan’s safety inspection workflow and capabilities.

Explore the full safety library

Toolbox talks

Print individual talks, sign-in sheets, categories, or the complete library.

Explore section

Workplace posters

Find and download print-ready federal and state workplace posters.

Explore section

OSHA resources and templates

Browse checklists, QuickCards, official guidance, and reusable compliance templates.

Explore section

Emergency action plan templates

Choose an industry-specific EAP template, then return here to manage your resources.

Explore section

Ready to organize your safety documents?

Join OSHA Scan to centralize your policies, access official guidance, and support your U.S. workplace safety program.