Accident Prevention Program (APP)

Every employer in Washington State is required to create a written Accident Prevention Program (APP) to address the safety and health hazards found in their workplace. Many employers consider their APP as their cornerstone safety program.

Purpose of an APP

Think of your APP as the controlling document of your safety and health program. It establishes basic requirements, assigns responsibilities, and addresses how hazards will be controlled. The accident prevention program must deliver targeted employee training and clear operational direction.

Depending on the hazards in your workplace, you may also need to create additional safety programs.

An APP will help you prevent costly workplace injuries and keep workers working.

Safety and Health Consultation

Safety and Industrial Hygiene consultants provide assistance with building your safety program, training, identifying and controlling hazards, and following applicable safety rules.

Overview

Washington Administrative Codes (WAC) state the APP must address the hazards of your workplace and also cover seven specific areas.  When starting out or improving what you already have, consider the following:

Five Phases of Building a Strong APP

  1. Understand the purpose and value of an APP – The APP is going to help you manage all the elements of your safety and health program.
  2. Include all required basic elements – The code will list the essential requirements:
  3. Identify the unique hazards in your workplace (customizing) – This requires a thorough understanding of your specific hazards. Encourage workers to participate and provide a transparent environment to share concerns they may have. This can include an audit or self-assessment process. Hazards include but are not limited to;
    • confined spaces,
    • bloodborne pathogens,
    • electricity,
    • fall exposures,
    • high noise,
    • air contaminants,
    • wildfire smoke,
    • heat/cold stress,
    • slips and trips,
    • repetitive motion.
  4. Write clear guidance that sets safe work expectations – Clear guidance begins with an understanding that your APP will be the primary source for safety and health information. It’s going to provide direction, tell you who is doing what, why actions are necessary, what to do and how to do it. It will provide you with forms applicable to address hazards or code requirements.  Once you know your hazards, you will need to look up and understand the appropriate WAC codes, what you must do as a business, and what is necessary to protect your workers. For example, if employees will be operating forklifts, your APP will need to cover training, responsibilities, inspections, and safe operation.
  5. Tailor templates – Samples and templates are available as starting points, but the information must be edited to be specific to your business and hazards. Only keep information relevant to your workers and hazards. Other information may need to be created to cover all requirements.

Remember – Keep your APP concise by removing unused forms and irrelevant information. Initial publishing and latest revision dates are helpful.

Sample APP Templates

General Industry APP

This template provides the elements most business need to meet the requirements in L&I's Accident Prevention Program rules. Customize this template for your specific workplace and address all hazards you identified. For industries like construction and logging, see the industry-specific templates below.

Low Hazard Workplace APP

Low-hazard businesses like offices, can use this template but will need to address any additional hazards that are not covered:

Industry-specific templates

The following industry-specific sample templates are available. If used, reference each of the applicable codes to ensure your APP content is complete.

If your specific industry isn't listed, use the General Industry APP and change the title.

Requirements

Rules

Videos, Training and Prevention

Videos

Training Materials

Self-paced

(Right-click on "Editable Version" and choose "Save link/target as...")

Publications, Handouts, Checklists, Sample Programs