All employers in Washington State are required to create a written Accident Prevention Program (APP). An APP is the cornerstone of an organization’s overall safety program and must be tailored to the needs of your workplace, as well as the types of hazards specific to your work. An APP template is provided below. L&I also offers sample APP templates on their Accident Prevention Program webpage. 

Complete the following to meet written program and other APP requirements.

  • Identify workplace hazards that could hurt employees. Look through the Safety and Health Core Rules for items that should be considered hazards.
  • Find and apply ways to reduce or eliminate hazards.
  • Allocate sufficient resources to support the APP.

Effective July 17, 2023, L&I adopted updated Outdoor Heat Exposure Rules to address minimum requirements to prevent heat-related illness and reduce traumatic injuries associated with heat exposure for outdoor workers. Employers are required to address outdoor heat exposure safety as part of their APP.

As of the publishing of this resource (2024), L&I requires all workplaces to address COVID-19 in their APP. Your plan should address how to limit the spread of COVID-19 in your workplace, and follow current CDC guidelines. Additional information is available on L&I’s COVID requirements page.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Organizations must look for and identify hazards or potential hazards in the workplace and determine if PPE is needed (this is called a hazard assessment). In documenting a hazard assessment, an organization is legally obligated to select and provide appropriate PPE to employees. Learn more on L&I’s PPE webpage.
A wrench and hammer

Tool: Accident Prevention Program Template

If your organization does not have an APP, this editable template is provided as an example to give your organization a starting place. The APP must be tailored to your nonprofit’s actual operations and the potential hazards that may be encountered by your employees. If your nonprofit has remote or hybrid employees, consider how the APP applies to the different locations employees may perform work. 

Accident Prevention Program Template Preview

Accident Prevention Program Template

Every organization is required to have an Accident Prevention Program (APP) to outline their safety and health plans. This template is a starting place for you to edit to fit your organization's needs.

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