THE WORKPLACE : UCI to Study Firms’ Injury Prevention Plans or Lack of Them

It has been two years since the Injury and Illness Prevention Act--better known as SB 198--became law. It says that if you run a business, you must have a written plan to prevent injuries and illness in your workplace.

But many small businesses haven’t bothered to write up such a plan, says a dean at UC Irvine.

With a $200,000 grant, Daniel Stokols at the School of Social Ecology will now study ways of coaxing those businesses to comply.

Stokols and two assistants will also try to find out if companies that write up a plan have lower accident rates.

The study won’t be finished until 1995.

Even before SB 198, state law required businesses to have a safety program. And many--especially in more dangerous industries like manufacturing--were required to have much of that program in writing.

But SB 198 requires all employers--no matter the size, no matter the industry--to have a written document as proof that they have a safety program.

The purpose of the law was to emphasize accident prevention--in addition to the state’s historical role of enforcing workplace safety regulations.

The California Wellness Foundation made the grant to Stokols to determine if a program called REACH-OUT is effectively educating small businesses about the requirements of the law.

Stokols will study 200 randomly selected businesses in Los Angeles and Orange counties.