OSHA Safety Compliance: Training & Hazard Mitigation for Employers

Under OSHA's safety act, employers must try to eliminate known safety hazards and provide employees with protective clothing, equipment and specialized training to work safely with known hazards and dangerous equipment.

Significance

• The Department of Labor created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to administer and enforce workplace safety standards for employers. Each year, hazardous working conditions are responsible for more than 50,000 deaths. OSHA requires employers to provide special training for employees who work with dangerous chemicals or equipment.

Considerations

• Employers must provide a written safety plan and train employees how to use the plan for emergencies. The plan should include workplace evacuation plans in emergencies. OSHA provides voluntary training programs to employers who want to provide their employees with job-site safety training.

Prevention/Solution

• OSHA provides "Outreach Training" programs for both construction industry and general industry employees. Certified through OSHA, safety trainers provide instructional training and offer job-specific safety at off-site locations or can train employees directly at the workplace. Work site safety training can entail teaching employees how to work with medical equipment and human tissue or blood. It might also entail working with employers to help them understand the importance of providing radiation exposure plans.