5 Things to Know Before Buying Safety Programs Online (2019)

What to Know About Buying Safety Programs in 2019

Looking to buy your company’s safety programs?

We want you to be an informed consumer.

Why?

Because we only want to sell you something that will meet and exceed your expectations.

We aren’t here to make a quick sale. We’re here to form relationships with long-term customers.

We also know that many of our customers have been burned by websites because they didn’t know where to start.

There are some great websites out there. We want you to get the quality products you are looking for.

So whether you shop with us, or someone else, here’s what to look for…

5 Things to Look for When Buying Safety Programs

If you're looking for a written safety program, the best method to ensure you end up with a quality program, is by looking for these 5 things: 

1. Can you edit the safety program yourself?

Make sure your safety program template lets you edit it yourself. Look for one that is a Microsoft Word document or similar type.

I know this sounds really basic, but there are a lot of companies out there that only sell downloadable PDF’s.

The upside to this is, they usually add your company name to the document for you, so it’s not technically a template.

The downside is that OSHA wants to see that your written programs are living documents, meaning, they are updated regularly and those changes are documented in a Version Log or a similar way of tracking.

Also, OSHA changes rules, and your company will most likely make changes to safety policies and procedures at some point. So, want your company’s safety programs to be updated to reflect these changes.

If you had purchased a PDF document, you will often need to pay fees to make changes to your own company’s safety programs.

It basically locks you into having a middle man for the luxury of editing the documents you have paid for.

Very uncool.

 2. Does the website offer product reviews?

No reviews?

It’s 2019.

All of us who are in the safety business are cautious people by nature.

We know that if we are selling our customers packages that sometimes cost hundreds of dollars, they should know what they are getting before they click the checkout button.

True, you won’t likely see a review for every customer the website has ever had.

These are safety programs after all, and they rarely inspire passionate reviews.

However, you should be able to read enough to know if the seller produces a quality product.

 3. Are the programs built to be for every industry?

Now, when it comes to complying with OSHA, different industries have different requirements.

Not sure what industry you are in? Click here.

If your seller generalizes broadly, selling the same package to all industries, it isn’t wrong.

But it does indicate that the safety program you purchase may be very, very general and you will have to manually add specific OSHA requirements that your company adheres to.

Not only that, but is the program going to comply with specific state requirements (if needed)?

There are some states that have their own safety programs outside of OSHA. These programs often have different requirements.

If you’d like to find out which states those are, click here.

 4. Who is writing the safety programs you are considering for purchase?

If you are spending hundreds of dollars on a safety program, you need to know it’s a quality product.

Who wrote the documents? 

Was it someone skilled with technical writing?

A Safety Professional?

A Certified Safety Professional?

The problem is, do you have any idea if the person who wrote it had any experience in boots on the ground safety?

 Because there is a difference, a big one.

If you’ve been a safety professional, you know what OSHA looks for in written programs when they come onsite.

You also know that programs shouldn’t be too protective because they’ll likely cause your company to look like it has over promised and under-delivered.

By the same token, if your program is too broad, it will lose meaning because employees won’t be able to use it for guidance in understanding the company’s policies.

Most of the time, you can find some information on the website’s owners and founders by looking at their About or Our Story pages.

There are some really great sellers out there. Just make sure you take the time to find the one that's best for you and your company.

Trust me, doing a little digging can give you a lot of reassurance

5. What are the programs written to comply with?

Look, anyone can write type out a safety program and sell it online. But will it even come close to meeting OSHA's requirements?

The quality of the product can vary enormously.

For professional programs that reflect the professionalism of your company, make sure you get them to meet the requirements you need.

OSHA  is the first and most basic one that all programs should be built around.

From there, some companies may want the program to comply with third party organizations such as ISNetworld or BROWZ. 

This information should be upfront when you buy the program so you know what you are getting right away.

Lastly, are there any extras?

While not necessary, some great bonus features of a great written safety programs are forms, hazard assessments, and permits.

Now that you know what to look for when buying safety programs, you're ready to choose a seller without worrying if you’re getting the right product for you. 

Yep, that's it! That was pretty simple, eh?