WHAT IS OSHA AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOUR BUSINESS?

When working with OSHA, you may do the following:

Request identification from OSHA compliance officers

Request an inspection warrant

Receive a reason for inspection from compliance officers

Accompany compliance officers on inspections

Request an informal conference after an inspection

Among other.

All employees are obligated to help prevent exposure to workplace safety and health hazards by becoming familiar with and adhering to all applicable OSHA requirements.

With regards to OSHA regulations, employees have the right to:

Review employer-provided OSHA standards, regulations and requirements

Request information from the employer on emergency procedures

Receive adequate, OSHA-required safety and health training on toxic substances and emergency action plan(s)

Ask the OSHA area director to investigate hazardous conditions or violations of standards in the workplace

Have his or her name withheld from the employer when filing a complaint with OSHA

Among other.

Beyond providing the tools and guidance to work toward an injury- and illness-free workplace, OSHA is important to identifying businesses that are not committed to safety. Employers that do not carefully follow OSHA regulations often face hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars in fines.

OSHA provides free publications, standards, technical assistance and compliance tools to help you understand the nuances of the regulations.

To learn more about OSHA and the critical elements of a successful safety and health management system in your workplace visit www.osha.gov.

Experts estimate that workplace injuries and illnesses cost U.S. businesses more than $125 billion annually.

Effective job safety and health programs not only help reduce worker injuries and illnesses, they save employers money in the long run.

The primary goal of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to carry out the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

The OSH Act it is still in place “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions to preserve our human resources.”

The OSH Act covers all employees except public employees in state and local governments and those who are self-employed.

Federal employees are covered under the OSH Act’s federal employee occupational safety and health programs

United States Postal Service employees are subject to the same OSH Act coverage provisions as those in the private sector.

Businesses in the retail, service, finance, insurance and real estate sectors that are classified as low-hazard are exempt from most OSHA requirements, as are small businesses with 10 or fewer employees.

If you are an employer covered by the OSH Act, you must provide your employees with jobs and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm. You must also comply with the OSHA statutory requirements, standards and regulations that require you to:

Provide well-maintained tools and equipment, including appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)

Provide medical assistance and guidance for employees sustaining workplace injuries/illnesses

Provide required OSHA training

Report accidents that result in fatalities to OSHA within eight hours

Report accidents that result in the hospitalization of three or more employees to OSHA within eight hoursic

Keep records of work-related accidents, injuries, illnesses and their causes