OSHA and the OSH act are two of the biggest protections that employees have to keep them safe in the workplace and prevent on-the-job accidents—and as an employer, understanding them is absolutely integral to keeping your facilities running smoothly. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions about OSHA.
1. Question: What are OSHA and OSH?
OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. It was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH) enacted in 1970. OSHA is responsible for enforcing and administering the OSH, which contains a wide range of protections designed to help prevent workplace accidents and keep employees safe.
2. Question: What kinds of things does the OSH cover?
The OSH outlines safety standards that workplaces must meet, hazards that must be mitigated, training that workers must have to protect themselves, and steps that must be taken to correct problems.
3. Question: What are employer responsibilities under OSH?
Employers are responsible for providing a hazard-free workplace, ensuring employees are properly trained, properly labeling equipment and other materials, establishing safe operating procedures, and instituting proper safeguards.Occasionally employers may be required to submit to inspections by OSHA personnel. Additionally, instituting an illness and injury prevention program is encouraged but not required.
4. Question: What should an employer do if there has been an accident?
In order to comply with OSH, employers are required to report all work-related fatalities to OSHA within eight hours and all serious injuries within 24. Additionally, records should be kept of all workplace-related illnesses and injuries. In some situations the employer may be required to provide medical examinations or to provide employee medical records to OSHA.
5. Question: What rights do employees have?
Under OSH, employees are entitled to a safe workplace, and the entire law is designed to further this goal. Employees have the right to be trained in safety procedures in a language that they understand and to be provided with safety gear such as gloves, goggles, harnesses, and other equipment. Employees may view records of workplace injuries and request an OSHA inspection should they feel it’s necessary. Finally, employees are protected from retaliation for reporting an injury, requesting an inspection, or speaking up about their safety concerns. Employers are responsible for respecting and protecting these rights.
6. Question: Are all employees covered?
OSHA is responsible for protecting all employees except those who are self-employed and those who work for state and local governments. Federal workers as well as all employees for private, public, and nonprofit organizations are protected by law.
7. Question: What happens if an employer doesn’t comply with OSH?
Should OSHA discover that a business is not complying with safety standards, they can issue a variety of citations that carry fines of different sizes. Penalties can range from $5,000 to $70,000 merely for not complying. If noncompliance results in an accident or fatality, fines can run as high as $500,000—and may sometimes be combined with a short prison sentence.
Additionally, workplace accidents may result in lawsuits and bad publicity, not to mention a significant disruption in production. Complying with OSHA is the best way to protect a company.
8. Question: What are the specific requirements of OSHA?
The OSH contains regulations governing many different hazards that can occur in a workplace. Not all of them will be relevant to every facility, but no business is exempt. A few threats regulated by OSHA include:
- Cranes
- Ladders
- Blood and bodily fluids
- Extreme heat or cold
- Noise
- Air quality
- Ergonomics
- Sanitation
- Heavy equipment
- Workplace violence
Each subject area is described in detail within the OSH law and OSHA regulations. More information about specific regulations for specific threats can be found at www.osha.gov.9. Question: Why does it matter?Workplace accidents kill approximately 6,000 employees every year and injure nearly six million. These disasters hurt both employees and employers, which is why complying with OSHA and instating workplace safety procedures is so important.
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