The VIP Step: The Very Important Policy Step

Hello everyone, and happy September! This month, we wanted to discuss the very first step of implementation – the Policy Step. As the first step of implementation, the WSIB team will be looking to see how your organization developed a written policy (or standard, SOP, etc.) for each of your selected topics.

At minimum, the policy should contain the purpose, key definitions, roles and responsibilities for each workplace party (Employer, Supervisor/Manager, Worker, etc.), training requirements, and the procedure outlining how the program will function in the workplace. A strong policy also answers the “5 W’s and H: who, what, where, when, why, and how.

The WSIB will review each submitted policy to ensure it meets all the topic requirements found in the

HSEP - Health and Safety Topics Guide. Review and ensure your policy conforms to the topic requirements before you move on to Step 2 “Do”. As a reminder, we have developed sample policies for each topic following the topic requirements. You can find these policy samples within each topic page in the Dunk Excellence Portal. Simply click on the left scroll menu icon for your topic to find these sample policies. They can be located under the header #1 Plan: Written Standard.

If you wish to create your own policy, each Step 1 template has a supplemental checklist titled: “Does

your policy/procedure address all of the requirements for this topic? Check yes next to the requirement to ensure they are met” section. Use this checklist to ensure your standard includes the requirements for the topic. As Dunk provides you with sample policies/procedures for each topic, we do not review these

policies as part of the program. If you choose to create your own policy or use a non-Dunk policy or

procedure and want us to review it, additional charges apply.

If the implementation of your topic is dependent on a policy that does not meet the topic requirements,

there is a chance the topic will be marked as incomplete by the WSIB or you may select to defer the topic. The WSIB may mark the topic as “Additional Evidence Required” and request the policy be redeveloped. You must then apply the 4 steps of implementation to this new policy. When topics are marked “Additional Evidence Required”, you only have 60 days to resubmit evidence. As we know, there is a minimum of 60 days for topic implementation before we can begin the Check step alone, in addition to all other steps. As a result, this error may force you to defer the topic, or it may be marked as incomplete.

It is important to emphasize that regardless of which topic you select, a written policy (or SWP/standard,

etc.) must be developed for your workplace exclusively for each topic. If you select related topics, for

example, the three Return-to-Work topics, you may develop one written policy that incorporates all three

sets of topic requirements. If you do decide to go this route, you will still need to ensure that the written

policy includes all requirements for all selected topics.

As always, if you have any questions or would like to discuss HSEp, send an email to excellence@systems24-7.com or call us at 1-866-754-8839.