CESCO cheat sheet

Safety program hierarchy: written policy (signed by top management) > objectives and targets > procedures > work instructions > records; each level must trace upward to the policy.

Leading indicators (training completion, inspection closure rate, near-miss reporting rate, audit findings closed on time) predict future performance; lagging indicators (recordable rate, lost-time rate, severity rate) describe past outcomes.

OSHA recordable incidence rate formula: (number of recordable cases x 200,000) / total hours worked. The 200,000 constant equals 100 full-time workers x 40 hours x 50 weeks.

DART rate formula: (days away, restricted, or transferred cases x 200,000) / total hours worked. Severity rate uses days away x 200,000 / hours worked.

Management of change (MOC): any change to process chemistry, equipment, procedures, or staffing requires documented hazard review, authorization, training update, and pre-startup verification before implementation.

Responsibility matrix: line management owns hazard control in its area; safety staff advise, audit, and measure; every employee has stop-work authority for imminent danger.

Annual program review cycle: policy review, objective setting, hazard assessment refresh, training needs analysis, audit schedule, and resource budget, with documented management sign-off.

Contractor safety management requires prequalification (experience modification rate, citations, written program), site-specific orientation, and defined host/contractor responsibility boundaries in writing.

Document control rule: only the current revision is available at the point of use; obsolete documents are removed or clearly marked, and revision history is retained per the retention schedule.

Hierarchy of controls, most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, personal protective equipment. PPE is the last line of defense.

Risk score = severity x probability (or likelihood x consequence). Risk matrices typically use 4-5 levels per axis; scores above the defined threshold require action before work proceeds.

Job hazard analysis steps: select the job, break it into sequential steps, identify hazards per step, assess risk, define controls, and revalidate after any change or incident.

Hazard identification inputs include injury and near-miss logs, inspection findings, employee reports, exposure monitoring, SDS review, and task observation. Multiple inputs reduce blind spots.

ALARP principle: risk must be reduced as low as reasonably practicable, weighing control cost against the magnitude of risk reduction achieved.

Exposure assessment compares measured airborne concentration to the permissible exposure limit; results above the action level trigger periodic monitoring, medical surveillance, and exposure reduction.

Residual risk is the risk remaining after controls are applied; it must be documented and accepted by an authorized person, not assumed to be zero.

Change detection: new chemicals, altered work schedules, equipment modification, and seasonal conditions all invalidate prior hazard assessments and require reassessment.

OSHA general duty clause (Section 5(a)(1)) requires a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm, even where no specific standard applies.

Recordkeeping thresholds under 29 CFR 1904: record fatalities within 8 hours; record in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or eye loss within 24 hours.

Recordability test: work-related AND a new case AND meets one of: death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, loss of consciousness, or significant injury/illness diagnosed by a physician.

First aid is not recordable; medical treatment (sutures, prescription medication, wound closure) is recordable. Retaining an employee on light duty counts as restricted work.

Employee rights include hazard reporting without retaliation, access to exposure and medical records (29 CFR 1910.1020), and the right to refuse imminently dangerous work.

General industry walking-working surfaces (29 CFR 1910.28-30) set fall protection at 4 feet; construction (29 CFR 1926.501) sets it at 6 feet.

Hazard communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): maintain a written program, current SDS for each hazardous chemical, labeled containers, and training on labels and pictograms.

Permit-required confined space (29 CFR 1910.146): written program, pre-entry permit, atmospheric testing before entry, attendant outside, rescue capability, and annual review of cancelled permits.

Investigation sequence: secure the scene and preserve evidence, provide care, notify required parties, gather facts, determine causal factors, recommend corrective action, verify implementation.

Root cause analysis distinguishes immediate causes (unsafe acts/conditions) from basic causes (management system gaps such as inadequate training, design, or supervision).

Evidence preservation priorities: photographs before cleanup, equipment left in place, witness statements taken separately and promptly, and records (training, maintenance, permits) collected.

Causal methods include 5 Whys, fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram, fault tree analysis, and barrier analysis. Use a formal method for serious incidents; simple methods suffice for minor ones.

Corrective action must be specific, assigned to a named person, dated, and verified as effective; repeating the same recommendation after a prior incident signals a failed corrective action.

Emergency action plan elements: reporting procedures, evacuation routes and assembly points, accounting for personnel, rescue duties, and employee training with periodic drills.

Evacuation vs. shelter-in-place decision depends on hazard type: release of toxic gas outdoors favors shelter-in-place; fire or structural threat favors evacuation.

Drill evaluation criteria include time to evacuate, accountability accuracy, communication clarity, and closure of deficiencies found; results are documented and fed back into the plan.