Global Prevention Plan and Annual Action Plan: identify and address occupational risks

Whether you run a large multinational or a young SME, as an employer, you are obliged to provide a healthy and safe workplace. The Global Prevention Plan and the Annual Action Plan are indispensable for this.

The legislation on well-being at work requires employers to identify risks to well-being. These vary according to the organisation, the nature of the job, or the group of employees. Based on this risk analysis, you formulate a number of measures to ensure the well-being of your employees. The prevention measures are grouped together in the Global Prevention Plan. Such a plan helps to manage the risks specific to your organisation. So a GPP is always made-to-measure.

The Global Prevention Plan must contain at least the following:

• the risk analysis results and the preventive measures to be taken;
• your priority objectives and the activities and resources to achieve them;
• a division of tasks between the departments/employees concerned;
• any amendments to changed legislation or working conditions;
• the criteria for evaluating the prevention policy.

Your GPP is valid for five years, but you would do well to adjust it annually where necessary. This can be done on the basis of advice from the CPPW, your EDPPW, amended legislation, or on the basis of new information due to changed working conditions, occupational accidents, claims, etc. Urgent changes will be incorporated into the current Annual Action Plan.

In the Annual Action Plan, you work out the GPP in concrete terms, by listing the specific prevention activities for the coming working year.

The AAP is minimal:

• the priority objectives of the prevention policy;
• the means and methods to achieve these objectives;
• the tasks, obligations, and resources of all those involved;
• any amendments to the Global Prevention Plan.

Please note: for smaller companies (Group C and D), the AAP should be prepared based on the policy advice prepared by the external service (EOHS) after an exploratory and periodic company visit(s).’ 

For the preparation of both a GPP and the AAP, you should be assisted by the prevention advisor of your Internal and/or External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work (ISPPW/ESPPW). By testing your ideas with the management and employees, you will also increase the support base within your organisation.

Whether it’s a GPP or a AAP, follow these 6 steps for optimal results:

1. Make a design: visualise each determining factor, such as legislation, standards, control visits, task analyses, the number of occupational illnesses, possible occupational accidents or incidents, the commissioning of new machines, etc.
2. Discuss the design with the management and your ISPPW/ESPPW.
3. Present the plan to the CPPW or submit it to your trade union delegation or your own employees before 1 November of the current working year.
4. Process the opinions of the CPPW.
5. Have the CPPW (or the trade union delegation or the employees) confirm the plan before the start of the coming working year.
6. Communicate the plan to the CPPW.