| The Mechanics of OSHA in the Workplace | | | | fostering a cooperative approach is more |
| | | | effective than a combative approach between |
| Written By: Matt Argano | | | | employers and OSHA officials. Voluntary |
| | | | Protection programs provide recognition of |
| OSHA SUMMARY | | | | safety and health initiatives that meet |
| | | | voluntary protection program guidelines and |
| The Occupational Safety and Health Act of | | | | standards. To become a member, companies |
| 1970 created the first standardized U.S. | | | | apply to OSHA, and sites are approved on the |
| policy for health and safety. An Occupational | | | | criteria of written health and safety |
| Safety and Health Administration was convened | | | | programs, and employer performance in meeting |
| within the Department of Labor to administer | | | | the standards enumerated in these programs. |
| and monitor the act. The charter for OSHA, as | | | | |
| enumerated in the Occupational Safety and | | | | Some of the more recognizable OSHA programs |
| Health Act, includes: -Encouraging | | | | include: Emergency Exit Procedures, Machine |
| employers and employees to mitigate safety | | | | Guarding; Confined Space Entry; and Personal |
| and health risks. -Assisting employers | | | | Protective Equipment. Under OSHA, employers |
| and employees to perfect safety and health | | | | with 11 or more employees must maintain |
| programs -Authorizing the Department of | | | | records of occupational injuries or |
| Labor to establish occupational health and | | | | illnesses. OSHA requires that some |
| safety guidelines. -Creating an | | | | occupational injuries and all occupational |
| Occupations Safety Review Committee to | | | | illnesses be reported. OSHA defines an |
| facilitate appeals under the Act. | | | | occupational injury as "such that is a cut, |
| -Researching and discovering the correlations | | | | fracture, sprain, or workplace injury |
| between the workplace and diseases and | | | | involving a single incident in the |
| creating appropriate benchmarks to eliminate | | | | workplace." Occupational injuries must also |
| workplace sickness. -Establish medical | | | | be recorded if they result in death, |
| guidelines to ensure that no employee will | | | | disability, restriction or modification of |
| experience a decrease in quality of life, or | | | | work duties, loss of consciousness, or |
| life expectancy. -Implementing training | | | | medical treatment beyond minor first aid. |
| programs to improve the effectiveness of | | | | OSHA enforces its policies and standards |
| employees working in the safety and health | | | | through employer inspections and the issuance |
| industry. -Providing effective reporting | | | | of violations when necessary. Inspections are |
| and enforcement of safety and health | | | | categorized by priorities including: |
| imperatives. | | | | |
| | | | First Priority - Conditions where there is |
| Most employees in the Unites States fall | | | | reasonable belief that a danger exists and |
| under OSHA's jurisdiction, with some notable | | | | can be expected to cause serious injury or |
| exceptions, including family farms worked | | | | death. Second Priority - Workplace injuries |
| only by family members and self-employed | | | | resulting in the hospitalization of three or |
| business owners. OSHA's coverage is | | | | more workers. Third Priority - Complaints |
| applicable to any person engaged in a | | | | that allege violations of OSHA guidelines or |
| business affecting commerce that have | | | | unsafe working conditions. Fourth Priority - |
| employees but does not include any state | | | | Industries targeted on the basis of |
| workers. In a number of states, however, | | | | inherently high incident rates or where |
| OSHA has approved plans where public and | | | | employees are exposed to toxic substances. |
| municipal workers are covered in the | | | | Fifth Priority - Follow up and re-inspection |
| workplace. | | | | of companies who have been cited in prior |
| | | | inspections. |
| Employee rights under the OSHA Act are | | | | |
| covered by the General Duty Clause. Under | | | | Although major strides towards ensuring a |
| this Act, every worker has the right to "a | | | | safer, healthier workplace is apparent, an |
| place of employment free from hazards that | | | | ever-changing globalized workplace presents |
| are likely to cause imminent injury or | | | | new challenges to the long-term effectiveness |
| death." Although OSHA does not cite | | | | and relevance of the OSHA Act. Among them, a |
| individual workers for safety violations, | | | | growing number of workplace conditions |
| each employee is expected to comply with all | | | | including substance abuse, AIDS, SARS, |
| occupational safety and health standards and | | | | infectious diseases, emotional stress and |
| all rules and regulations found in the Act. | | | | burnout, and workplace violence. |
| OSHA provides employees with a number of | | | | |
| rights including: the right to require a safe | | | | Over the past several decades, work related |
| and healthy job site; the right to request | | | | fatalities have been cut by almost 45 |
| for an inspection of the workplace; the right | | | | percent. Injuries and illnesses have declined |
| to accompany an OSHA inspector during an | | | | by over 35 percent. The evolution of a once |
| inspection; the right to receive safety | | | | adversarial relationship between OSHA and |
| training; and the right to file a complaint | | | | employers to a more symbiotic, co-existence |
| based upon health or safety standards or | | | | is evident. Both OSHA and employers share in |
| concerns. | | | | the accomplishments that have been realized |
| | | | in enhancing health and safety awareness and |
| Recently, a growing number of sectors have | | | | safeguarding the well being of workers |
| formed voluntary protection programs. These | | | | throughout the nation. |
| programs are based upon the theory that | | | | |