Understand the Requirements of Workplace Safety and Health

Workplace Safety and Health

Employers are responsible for protecting the safety and health of their employees. Over the last several decades, laws have been passed to ensure workers are protected from hazards in the workplace such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, and the Fair Labor Standards Act, which covers rules concerning the employment of young workers.

This guide provides information that helps businesses comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. For information on complying with the Mine Safety and Health Act, visit the Mining and Drilling Industry Guide; and for information on complying with child labor laws, visit the Child Labor Law Guide.

Under the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, as the employer, you must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to your employees regardless of the size of your business. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to create standards and regulations that implement the Act.

As an employer, you must comply with OSHA standards and regulations. The following OSHA resources will help you understand requirements that apply to your business and how to comply.

For Small Businesses

• OSHA Guidance for Small Businesses
  A user-friendly web portal designed to help small businesses understand and comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
• OSHA's Small Business Handbook
  This handbook helps small business employers meet the legal requirements imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act), and achieve an in-compliance status before an OSHA inspection.
  
• Workplace Poster Requirements for Small Businesses and Other Employees
  Find electronic copies of the required workplace posters by the U.S. Dept. of Labor.

OSHA Tools and Resources

• OSHA Compliance Assistance Guide
  A user-friendly web portal designed to help members of the regulated community understand and comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
• OSHA Fact Sheets
  These fact sheets provide basic information on a variety of safety and health topics.
• OSHA Frequent Asked Questions
  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration maintains a list of frequently asked questions.
  
• OSHA Publications and Posters
  Order OSHA compliance assistance publications and required workplace posters online.
• OSHA Safety and Health Guides
  This site is a gateway to specific compliance information on various safety and health issues (e.g., ergonomics, hazard communication, bloodborne pathogens, asbestos, and workplace violence).
  
• Site Specific Health and Safety Plan : Hazardous Waste
  This Interactive Expert Hazard Awareness Advisor is a computer software to help employers (especially, small businesses) identify and understand common occupational safety and health hazards risks in their hazardous waste workplace(s).

Whistleblower Protection

• OSHA Whistleblower Program
  Provides information on rights for employees and representatives of employees under the whistleblower program.
  
• Whistleblower and Non-Retaliation Protections
  Laws protecting workers against retaliation for complaining to their employers, unions, or government agencies about unsafe or unhealthful conditions in the workplace.

General Workplace Safety Information

• Safety and Health in the Workplace
  An overview of the three U.S. labor laws protecting the safety and health of workers in America: The Occupational Safety and Health Act; the Mine Safety and Health Act; and the child labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

More Information

From the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

• Occupational Safety and Health Guides
  Info on workplace health hazards.
• Health Hazard Evaluation Program
  Offers evaluations of workplace hazards.