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OSHA: WHAT ALL EMPLOYEES NEED TO KNOW
Admin • January 1, 2020
When you first sign your employment contract, you should receive information from your human resources department. Within the wealth of information, you should have some paperwork about OSHA. While you may have heard of OSHA, you may not actually realize what it is or how it can impact you. The following is some information about OSHA you should know about.
What Is OSHA?
OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The Occupational Safety and Health Act was created by Congress in 1970 to help ensure employees have a healthy and safe work environment. OSHA sets and enforces specific standards through assistance and outreach.
OSHA has specific rules to inform employees of any hazards on the job and hold employers to standard when it comes to a safe workplace. The agency hires compliance safety and health safety officers to enter a workplace and conduct investigations and inspections to make sure the area is in compliance.
OSHA can visit a workplace at any point in time, both scheduled and unscheduled, especially in a workplace that works in potentially hazardous conditions, such as chemical plants or manufacturing plants.
An OSHA inspection is typically automatically triggered when a fatality or site-wide injuries and hospitalizations occur. OSHA will also perform inspections when multiple employees contact OSHA and claim injuries and dangerous workplace conditions.
What Rights Do Employees Have?
OSHA affords employees a variety of rights within the workplace that employers must provide. You have the right to work in a safe work environment that does not pose significant harm. You also have the right to report a workplace illness or injury without fear of discrimination or retaliation from your employer.
If you are punished for contacting OSHA about a complaint, you have the right to protection from the punishment if you are considered a whistleblower.
In addition, you have the right to contact OSHA confidentially and file a complaint. You can also request a site visit and inspection from OSHA. You can also ask to speak to an officer in private. You have the right to receive information about any monitoring or testing in your workplace to ascertain the hazards within your workplace.
What Are Employers Required to Do?
An employer has duties they must abide by to remain in compliance with OSHA. Employers must advise employees of any hazards via training, alarms, posted information, or other communication methods. Employers must provide employees with safety training to all employees in a language they can read fluently.
An employer must also perform regular testing in the workplace to make sure the environment is safe, such as for clean air, proper temperatures, and running water. Employees must receive essential protective equipment from the employer at the employer's expense.
The employer has to post OSHA regulations and citation information and change the information annually as updates occur. Employers have to contact OSHA of any fatalities in the workplace and any mass employee hospitalizations related to the workplace.
What Should You Do if You Suspect an OSHA Violation?
If you are impacted by what you perceive as a violation of OSHA, or if you witness another person suffering due to a violation, file an OSHA complaint right away. You should also contact an attorney for your own protection.
If you are hurt on the job and you believe it to be due to OSHA violations, you should seek immediate workers' compensation coverage. You may also be entitled to additional damages based on the circumstances of the violation. You will need to discuss your options with your attorney.
If you have any questions about OSHA, workers' compensation, or other issues in the workplace, please contact The Law Offices of Jeffrey M. Greenberg.
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