Employee Safety Laws at work

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) is the governing law as it relates to safety in the workplace. The safety and health of your employees in the workplace should be a top concern. OSHA, a governmental agency, requires that employers enforce strict standards and safe working conditions for their employees through training, education, and outreach. The OSHA act covers most private sector employers but not employees at state and local government agencies.

Best to have a safety committee (HR best practice) that meet once a month to discuss injuries, near misses and safety topics. Depending on the type of industry, injuries in the workplace may be more or less prevalent. Therefore, it’s important to have regular meetings to discuss how you can create a safe environment for your workers. Injuries at work not only affect the health and wellbeing of your employees but they can create legal issues that can escalate into lawsuits and heavy fines.

Include safety in your employee newsletter! Communicate how safety is vitally important in any workplace. If your company publishes monthly newsletter, dedicate a section of it to providing tips and suggestions for how your employees can keep themselves out of harm’s way. A small reminder can provide your employees with helpful advice on how to prevent injuries and can illustrate your concern for their wellbeing.

Make sure your employment posters are up to date (2017-2018), and have the required OSHA language. Make sure you complete your poster with contact information to use in case of emergency and your WC policy information. Updated OSHA poster boards are mandatory in the workplace and provide workers information on their rights. These posters need to be displayed in a visible area where everyone can see them. Make important contact information easily accessible to your employees in the event of an emergency.

We conduct HR audits to help employers ensure that they are in compliance. The HR audit can be all encompassing, or cover safety/OSHA only – We customize our services to meet our clients’ needs. Employers have to meet certain criteria to ensure that their employees are protected. Eliminating safety hazards and implementing safe working conditions can help employers stay complaint with OSHA laws. Our HR audit can thoroughly examine the workplace and practices instilled within the company. Following the guidelines and trainings can protect employers from preventable lawsuits.