MightyRecruiterThe Occupational Safety and Health Act is a federal law designed to protect employees from unsafe work conditions. As an employer, it is your responsibility to abide by the rules set forth by this law. Your employees’ health and safety is of the utmost importance, and you could be facing a lawsuit if you fail to provide these conditions. Workplaces need OSHA because every year over 5,000 American workers die from injuries sustained at work, and an additional 50,000 die from illnesses that are work-related. Your employees have certain rights under OSHA, and it is crucial that you understand them.
Employees Are Due Training According to OSHA Standards
If your workplace contains potentially hazardous chemicals, then you are required to inform your workers of such hazards and give them training on how they are supposed to properly handle those substances. This involves giving employees a written program detailing the chemicals and clearly labeling anything containing something that possibly poses a threat to someone’s health. You must also inform your workers of the potential health risks at play within your workplace. Some other components you may need to educate workers about include construction hazards, confined spaces and blood-borne pathogens.
Employees Have a Right to Request Information
Whenever an employee approaches you requesting information related to health hazards at work, radiation levels, precautions being taken or anything else of that nature, you must comply and provide the appropriate materials. Employees may request access to medical or exposure records. Workers can also observe the measuring of toxic chemicals or noise levels at the workplace. In the event that certain levels are too high, an employee has the right to ask you what you plan on doing to correct the problem. It is in everyone’s best interest for you to correct the problem in a timely manner.
Employees Can File a Complaint Directly With OSHA
A workplace with one or multiple OSHA violations is subject to inspection. Employees can file a complaint by telephone or online, and if a worker wants his or her identity to remain confidential, then an employer will not know who filed the complaint. Chances are good an OSHA representative will come to your business to perform a comprehensive inspection. This can entail a review of any chemicals or dangerous equipment employees regularly have to use. This compliance officer will also likely interview workers in order to get their opinions on whether the workplace is safe.
Employees Have the Right to Know the Outcomes of an OSHA Inspection
Once the inspection is complete, employees are allowed to know what happened. This means workers are allowed to know what changes need to be made so that the workplace is OSHA-compliant. If nothing needs to be done, then employees should know about that as well.
Employees Cannot Be Discriminated Against for Filing an OSHA Complaint
While some employees may remain anonymous, others will choose not to do that. As the business owner, you are not allowed to retaliate in any way toward a worker who filed a complaint. That includes firing an individual, cutting back on someone’s hours or moving someone to a different, more inconvenient department. If an employee believes that he or she has been discriminated against, then he or she has 30 days to send in a discrimination complaint. While OSHA is a federal law and sets standards for businesses across the country, numerous states have additional laws stating what employers need to provide for their employees in the workplace. You should look into any state and city laws you need to abide by so that everyone you employ remains safe, and you do not face any legal troubles. With everyone working together, the number of employees getting sick and injured at work can drastically be reduced.
Legal Disclaimer
The content on our website is only meant to provide general information and is not legal advice. We make our best efforts to make sure the information is accurate, but we cannot guarantee it. Do not rely on the content as legal advice. For assistance with legal problems or for a legal inquiry please contact you attorney.