Safety in the Workplace: A Guide for Employers

Workplace safety is about protecting workers from illness and injury at the workplace. As an employer, it is your obligation to know what is expected, so you can maintain a safe and healthy workplace for your workers. Knowing what is required will save you time and money, and help you avoid expenses such as rising insurance premiums, employee turnover, or costly fines and penalties.

Under OSHA, all workers have the right to a safe workplace reasonably free from health and safety hazards. OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal agency within the Department of Labor that enforces health and safety standards to protect American workers. In 1973, California Legislation formed The California Occupational Safety and Health Act (Cal/OSHA). Cal/OSHA enforces standards for California businesses, mandating safe and healthy working conditions for California workers.

All American workers have rights under OSHA. For instance, workers have the right to review the governing rules and regulations their employer mandates within the workplace. Workers also have the right to know the whereabouts of their individual medical record, and are free to request access at any time. In addition, if a worker believes a potentially hazardous condition exists within the workplace, he or she can anonymously request an OSHA inspection. Should an OSHA complaint arise as a result of unsafe working conditions, workers are free from any discriminatory actions that may be taken against their employer.

Employers equally have rights under OSHA. As an employer, you are obligated to provide workers a safe and healthy workplace free of hazards. This includes informing workers of OSHA health and safety standards, and displaying official OSHA poster requirements in a prominent workplace location. In addition, employers must inform workers of medical record location and availability at the time of hire, and make the records available upon request. Lastly, employers should establish and provide a comprehensive health and safety program, to ensure protection for all workers.

In order to create and establish a comprehensive health and safety program, an employer must first acknowledge that potential hazards exist. A program should uniquely suit a company’s needs, and should include a system that routinely addresses potential workplace hazards. According to OSHA, there are four elements an effective program should possess. These elements include:

• Management Leadership and Employee involvement: To help facilitate a safe and healthy workplace, a working partnership between employers and workers should be developed. For example, employers should encourage workers to not only abide by safety rules and standards, but also take an active role in safety activities, and an interest in health and safety policymaking. Workers should also be encouraged to initiate meetings that revolve around workplace safety improvements when the need exists. Lastly, employers should openly display their commitment to all activities that help shape an effective health and safety program for the workplace.
• Workplace Analysis: A workplace should be analyzed on a periodic and timely basis to identify existing or potential hazards. As an employer, it is important to make yourself aware of industry hazards, thoroughly examine worksite condition histories, and encourage workers to report potential hazards immediately. Consider training authorized personnel to inspect and correct particular workplace hazards, and seek expert assistance when necessary.
• Hazard Prevention & Control: According to OSHA, the next component of a solid health and safety program is to develop protocol for hazard prevention. This can be accomplished by ensuring all workers know and understand how to utilize workplace equipment, how to regularly care for equipment, and how to utilize hazard protection procedures. Lastly, take into consideration how well the existing medical coverage meets facility needs, and make policy changes as needed.
• Safety and Health Training and Education: The final component of a comprehensive safety program is ongoing education and training for all workers. This can be achieved by ensuring newer workers receive the attention they need to learn required skill sets, only allowing authorized workers to perform certain work tasks, and training all workers what to do in the event of an emergency.

Fortunately, workplace safety measures can often be very simple. Small safety initiatives such as closing and locking workplace doors, replacing burned out light bulbs, or understanding proper lifting techniques are simple processes that workers can easily perform. Overall, it is good practice for both employers and workers to adopt mandatory safety basics, and work in tandem to avoid unnecessary workplace accidents and injuries.

Many resources exist that help simplify OSHA compliance. The LaborLawCenter offers all the OSHA Health & Safety Poster requirements needed to ensure compliance with OSHA rules and regulations. In addition, the local Cal/OSHA offices offer complimentary consultation services to help employers analyze and identify harmful workplace hazards. For more information on Cal/OSHA compliance requirements, or to schedule an inspection for your workplace, visit www.dir.ca.gov.

This article is not designed to infer legal counsel or advice, and is only a guideline of the rights and processes an employer should take into account in order to comply with mandatory health and safety workplace requirements.