Navigating the Landscape of OSHA
Workplace safety is an important aspect to ensure that employees feel secure. Working under risky workplace environments makes the employees experience a sense of insecurity among employees. In this consideration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established in 1970 to curb this problem. This paper explores the purpose of OSHA in relation to workplace safety. Amidst the challenges to its implementation, workplace safety is important in safeguarding workers from foreseeable risks.
Purpose of OSHA
Arguably, before 1970, employees faced tough working conditions that posed serious health hazards and injuries to them. The unregulated work conditions subjected the employees into health risks that were not even compensated for. In this regard, OSHA was passed as a law to the U.S. Constitution with the aim to set the standards, offer information and train employees and employers about the expected work conditions (Friend & Kohn, 2018, 4). In this consideration, the employees were provided with some rights such as obtaining the documentation on work-related illnesses and injuries at the job site. Moreover, OSHA is also responsible for controlling the regulations which demand employers to implement approaches to promote the health and safety of workers. Additionally, the act has the responsibility to carry out inspection in the workplace to ensure that safety regulations are strictly adhered to. In this case, those who decline are subjected to pay penalties and fines which are included in the act. According to OSHA, an employee should file a complaint seeking for inspection if he she feels safety regulations have been violated (US. Department of Labor, n.d, 19). Such heavy fines prompt employers to observe safety regulations to employees and hence promoting a healthy working environment.
What the law says
Predominantly, all the regulatory workplace rules are based on a general clause which states that all employers should provide safe work environments that do not threaten the wellbeing and safety of the employees (Friend & Kohn, 2018, 8). The act enforces the general duty regulatory clause that states that each employer should furnish the employees with working conditions that are free from recognized hazards that could lead to harm, death, or serious injuries (Jamil et al., 2018, 295). Further, protective equipment should be provided to the workers at no cost while performing the duties. According to the law, the employers must provide the employees with safety training in a language understandable by each (US. Department of Labor, n.d, 9). Employers should also maintain accurate records of any work-related illnesses and injuries experienced in their territories. The records aid in considering the causative factors of such incidences to prevent more of them in the future. The law also requires that the OSHA citations, illness and injury data are displayed appropriately in places where every worker can see them.
When and why was the law Enacted
Most notably, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was signed into the law in December 1970 by President Richard Nixon to create safe working conditions for America’s workers by authorizing the standard work practices ((US. Department of Labor, n.d, 3). With the authoritative powers that employers tend to have over their employees, the major focus of the act was to advocate for the safety measures of the employees. Therefore, the act ensured the safety, health, and welfare of workers and everyone who would be legitimately present at the workplace (Jamil et al., 2018, 295). The act also protects persons that are not of the particular workplace against health risks arising from the activities of persons at the workplace. The act was also developed to provide an opportunity for the employees to present their complaints to OSHA authorities concerning any safety irregularities in the workplace. Nonetheless, the employer has the obligation to report an intention to decline the OSHA regulations. In this case, an employer must prove that complying with such standards more hazardous than non-compliance (OSHA Citation Defense Manual, n.d, 1).
Problems it was meant to solve
The US parliament discovered that workplace illnesses and injuries were rampant before 1970. Accordingly, a decline in wages and production was clear which initiated an increased need for disability and medical expenses compensation (Friend & Kohn, 2018, 7). In this consideration, the act was meant to protect workers from exposure to excessive noise, toxic chemicals, and thermal stresses in order to maintain their proper health conditions. Such actions would ensure good health for workers and a decrease in the number of workplace casualties. The enactment of this act allowed it to create specific guidelines for various industries. While reporting hazardous exposure of employees to the relevant authorities would prompt the challenged employers to retaliate against the employees, OSHA resolved this problem in some ways. For instance, the OSHA regulations allowed the workers to participate in inspection while speaking privately with the inspector (US. Department of Labor, n.d, 10). Such provided a chance for the employees to disclose any crucial information regarding safety regulations that the employer has failed to comply with.
In retrospect, OSHA was enacted to promote the safety of employees. With this provision, employees who get injured at the workplace have the right to compensation. The 1970 act requires both employers and employees to have a clear understanding of the safety regulations before signing a work contract. Despite the challenges to its implementation, workplace safety is important in safeguarding workers from foreseeable risks.
References
Department of Labor. (n.d). All about Occupational Safety and Health Administration. US. Department of Labor Friend, M. A., & Kohn, J. P. (2018). Fundamentals of occupational safety and health. Rowman & Littlefield.
Jamil, N. A., Humaidi, N., Anis, A., & Saad, S. (2018). The Influences of the Occupational Safety and Health Administrative (OSHA) Dimension Towards OSHA Awareness Among Employees. Advances in Transportation and Logistics Research, 1(1), 291-302.
OSHA Citation Defense Manual (n.d). Lecture Notes