Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1970. The Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to primarily guard the workplace from hazards including toxic chemicals, mechanical dangers, unsanitary conditions, excessive noise levels, and heat or cold stress. OSHA has grown to over 2300 employees, has an annual budget of $565 million dollars from the United States Government, and is charged for covering over 7 million workplaces.
Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed into law by Richard Nixon in 1970. The Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to primarily guard the workplace from hazards including toxic chemicals, mechanical dangers, unsanitary conditions, excessive noise levels, and heat or cold stress. OSHA has grown to over 2300 employees, has an annual budget of $565 million dollars from the United States Government, and is charged for covering over 7 million workplaces.
Prior to the legislation it was cheaper for companies to have dangerous workplace conditions, leading to employee injury, than it was to implement safety measures. OSHA has since devised standards revolving around confined spaces, toxic substances, machine hazards, harmful physical agents, dangerous atmospheres, electrical hazards, fire and explosion dangers, fall hazards, infectious disease, hazards associated with trenches and digging, and hazardous waste. Companies are subject to random inspections to ensure compliance and can incur hefty penalties if a violation is found.
A Certified Safety Professional can work with your company to keep you current with any new mandate as they evolve. Typically this professional makes regularly scheduled visits to ensure all areas are covered and can be your spokesperson when and if OSHA ever shows up at your facility. Whether working with OSHA at a federal or state level, it is important to have the Certified Safety Professional be on the front lines.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act was a huge leap in the right direction to provide employees safer working environments. Steps continue to be taken to progress safety and ensure today is a safer and brighter day than yesterday. Standards continue to be released on an annual basis to advance workplace safety. OSHA should be viewed as a partner with businesses to hold them accountable for their actions and operating environments. Newly devised standards continue to roll out.
Click hereto contact a Certified Safety Professional to work with your company and ensure mandates are being met. An OSHA fine can be costly and increase the scrutiny of the entire facility and company. Frequency of visits could increase and further action taken. OSHA has leveraged criminal prosecution in the past and been successful. It is imperative to use all possible resources now to ensure these penalties never occur. Heightened scrutiny can come from working in a particularly hazardous industry, workplace incidents, and worker complaints. Working with a Certified Safety Professional can help limit many of those areas by instituting actionable recommendations to improve the working conditions at the facility.
Occupational Health Overcomes Everyday Hazards
Many workers face different types of hazards on a daily basis. Each company has a responsibility to proactively protect their employees from hazards encountered in the workplace. Accidents or injuries can bring production to a halt, reduce the workforce while the employee is recovering and lead to costly worker compensation claims. A Certified Industrial Hygienist can help your company improve the Occupational Health present at your facility.
The Risk from Asbestos
Asbestos poses a major health risk in many office buildings and homes due to the wide adoption and usage of asbestos as an insulator in the construction process. Asbestos can be found in the glue beneath vinyl flooring or in material applied to concrete to regulate the temperature between floors in an office building. These buildings and homes are being remodeled and modernized as an update to the space, but the demolition process can be hazardous if asbestos is present. Test for asbestos prior to starting your next remodeling project to ensure workers are safe.
Communicating the Dangers with HazCom
Hazard Communication focuses on explaining the dangers present at the workplace. The employees have a right to understand the hazards present and how to remain safe on the jobsite. A Certified Industrial Hygienist can work with your company to fulfill the HazCom requirement set forth by OSHA.
