Colorado's Cost Containment Certification

Cost Containment Certification requires one full year of documentation demonstrating the minimum requirements outlined in Steps 1-6 are in place and effective at your organization.

Safety rules are a key component of an effective safety program. They not only help protect employees from hazards and unsafe conditions, but they also help protect an organization from the costs of potential claims and future liabilities.

Help increase employee awareness and adherence to safety rules by placing them in common work areas.

There are two categories of safety rules: general and job-specific:

General safety rules: An organization’s set of rules that apply to everyone in your organization.
Job-specific safety rules: on the other hand, apply to specific job tasks.

One way to create safety rules is by conducting a thorough job hazard analysis. A job hazard analysis is a tool employers can use to review job-specific tasks and the potential hazards associated with those tasks.

Cost Containment Certification application requirements

For Step 3 you’ll need to provide:

Copies of your organization’s safety rules — both general and job-specific.

This includes samples of copies that have been signed and dated from the date of inception of the rules and throughout the year as you hire new employees.

Additionally, hazards are to be identified and safety rules enforced consistently throughout the organization.

To strengthen your application, your organization can submit additional documents to the Cost Containment Board.

Some of these extra application materials for Step Three include:

Job hazard analyses conducted
Copies of your organization’s enforcement policy, signed and dated by your employees.
Copies of any safety rule violations issued to employees.

Additional safety rules guidance

Creating Safety Rules

Whether you’re creating general or job-specific safety rules, here are some best practices to follow:

Safety rules need to be clear, concise and specific to your organization.
General and job-specific safety rules should be written with specific and direct language.
Safety rules must be consistent and apply equally to all employees, regardless of their position in the organization.
Your organization’s safety rules must be reviewed annually to ensure they remain current.

Sample Safety Rules

Implementing Safety Rules and Creating Awareness

Start by reviewing your safety rules with your employees. This doesn’t mean you simply hand them a copy of the rules and say, “Read through these and sign this.” It also doesn’t replace the need for ongoing safety training.

Instead, a face-to-face meeting is your opportunity to discuss the rules and make sure your employees understand them. This is also your opportunity to set clear expectations with your employees about your organization’s safety culture and explain that safety is a shared responsibility of everyone in your organization.

Once you’ve discussed the safety rules, have your employees sign and date the document listing these rules. Make sure they know that, by signing this document, they are agreeing that they understand the rules and will abide by them.

Reinforcing Safety Rules

Providing positive reinforcement for employees who perform tasks in a safe manner is a great way to emphasize the importance of safety. This can be as simple as a pat on the back, spending a few minutes recognizing employees at a team meeting, or even acknowledging employees in your organization’s newsletter.

Another way to reinforce your organization’s safety rules is to conduct ongoing safety training.

In addition to positive reinforcement of safety rules, ensuring that they are enforced is just as important.

Enforcement of safety rules may include: