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| Failure to follow health and safety guidelines can lead to costly litigation and bad PR. |
Thankfully, certain regulations are in place that make it easier for employers to know what their obligations are.
With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.
Workers are entitled to working conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm. To help assure a safe and healthful workplace, OSHA also provides workers with the right to:
- Receive information and training about hazards, methods to prevent harm, and the OSHA standards that apply to their workplace. The training must be in a language you can understand;
- Observe testing that is done to find hazards in the workplace and get test results;
- Review records of work-related injuries and illnesses;
- Get copies of their medical records;
- Request OSHA to inspect their workplace; and
- Use their rights under the law free from retaliation and discrimination.
Health and safety obligations under OSHA
Be familiar with OSHA guidelines. As an employer, you need to be sure that you are following OSHA guidelines, which are federal law. In particular, you need to be able to know what guidelines and regulations are applicable to your workplace, and have copies available for employees who request them.
Keep records of injuries and illnesses. Businesses with 11 employees or more at any time during a calendar year are required to keep records of occupational injuries and illnesses. Some businesses are not required to keep records, such as those in retail trade, finance, insurance, real estate and service industries.
Display OSHA's Safe and Healthful workplaces poster. Employers are required to post this poster, or its state equivalent, somewhere where employees can look over the information.
Inform employees about hazardous chemicals. If your business uses hazardous chemicals, you need to inform your employees about these hazards and train them on proper safeguards.
Remember that your business is subject to inspection. Employees have the right to contact a local or state OSHA office to request an inspection if there is a hazard or danger in the workplace.
The above list is not exhaustive of all employer obligations under OSHA - certain industries may have different or more elaborate health and safety obligations.
Source: FindLaw.com
Indoor air quality is a major health and safety issue
With more and more complaints and lawsuits being filed against employers for serious health conditions due to chemical exposure and polluted indoor air (see list below), companies need to make sure that the work environment is safe and free of IAQ concerns.
Most existing ventilation systems are unable to remove harmful pollutants from the ambient air, but rather than spending a lot of money on a new ventilation system, Electrocorp air cleaners offer a cost-effective, portable and versatile air purifying solution that can remove the widest range of airborne chemicals, odors, vapors, fumes, particles and pathogens.
The multistage filtration system uses a large granular activated carbon (GAC) filter, HEPA or micro-HEPA, UV germicidal filtration (optional) and particle-trapping pre-filters.
The Electrocorp product line includes portable and HVAC-compatible air cleaners for industrial and commercial applications of all kinds (and sizes).
Contact Electrocorp today for more information: 1-866-667-0297.
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Great suggestions! Implementing OSHA correctly is important for the health and safety of employees. We use medical software to keep organized in HR.
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