http://www.allaboutosha.

com/osha-regulations/behavior-attitude/safety-housekeeping/workplacehousekeeping-free-powerpoint-safety-training
New to OSHA? Start here...

What is OSHA?
Introduction
Trying to make sense of OSHA regulations but dont know where to start? Been to the OSHA website and
are overwhelmed? Dont worry. You will find the answers here. I have attempted to take the best of what the
OSHA website has to offer for both small and large business and develop a step-by-step approach to help
you understand your companys obligations and what you need to do next. This guide kicks it off with a
basic introduction to OSHA.

Why was OSHA Created?

Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 which created the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA). Its mission is to help employers and employees reduce on the job
injuries, illnesses and deaths.
OSHA directs national compliance initiatives in occupational safety and health. Through the methods
described below, OSHA helps business protect their workers and reduce the number of workplace deaths,
injuries and illnesses. When employees stay safe and healthy, companies can reduce workers compensation
insurance costs and medical expenses, decreased payout for return-to-work programs, reduce faulty
products, and lower costs for job accommodations for injured workers. Indirectly, additional benefits such as
increased productivity, lower training costs due to fewer replacement workers and decreased costs for
overtime have also been attributed to OSHAs research and guidance.
Since 1970, workplace deaths have been cut by more than 60 percent and occupational injuries and illnesses
have declined 40 percent. In addition OSHA has conducted almost 39,000 inspections & issued over 85,000
citations for safety violations, and has assisted businesses with its Consultation Program by making over
31,000 visits to employers.

What does OSHA do?

OSHA employs the following strategies to help employers and employees reduce injuries, illnesses, and
deaths on the job:

Enforcement making sure OSHA Regulations are followed

Assistance outreach & training to employers and employees

Cooperation partnerships and alliances through voluntary programs

OSHA promotes workplace safety and health by:

Implementing new (or improved) safety and health management systems.

Completing worksite inspections. Companies failing to OSHA Regulations may be cited and/or
fined.

Promoting cooperative programs including Voluntary Protection Programs, OSHA Strategic

Partnerships, and other industry Alliances.

Establishing specific rights and responsibilities of employees and employers.

Supporting innovation in dealing with workplace hazards.

Establishing recordkeeping and reporting requirements for employers.

Developing training programs for occupational safety and health personnel.

Partnering with states that operate their own occupational safety and health programs.

Supporting the OSHA Consultation Program.

Are we required to comply?

The OSH Act covers private sector employers/employees in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Island, Johnston Island,
and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands as defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.
The OSH Act covers employers and employees either directly through Federal OSHA or through an OSHAapproved state program.
The OSH Act does not cover:

Self-employed

Immediate family of farm employers that do not have outside workers

Federal agencies that have their own worker safety or health requirements

Employees of state and local governments. Some states have their own requirements covering state
& local employees.

Federal Worker Coverage

Although OSHA completes worksite inspections for federal agencies, section 19 of the OSH Act makes
federal agency heads responsible for providing safe and healthful working conditions for their employees
and must comply with standards consistent with private sector employees.
OSHA Approved State Plans
Twenty two states have optioned to develop their own safety and health programs. The state plans must be at
least as effective as Federal OSHA requirements. State plans covering the private sector also must cover
state and local government employees. NOTE: The Connecticut, and Virgin Islands plans cover public sector
(state and local government) employment only.

What are OSHA regulations?

In general, OSHA regulations (also referred to as standards) require employers:

Maintain conditions and/or adopt practices necessary and appropriate to protect workers on the job.

Be familiar with and comply with standards applicable to their establishments.

Ensure that employees have and use personal protective equipment when required for safety and
health.

In addition, the OSH Act instituted a general duty clause (Section 5(a)(1) which requires that each
employer furnish a place of employment which [is] free from recognized hazards that are causing or are
likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees.
Personally, I have found it helpful to divide OSHA regulations into Six Management Centers. These centers
are non-binding and of my own creation simply to help employers group general, commonly cited hazards
into larger categories. Some of the sections in the Six Centers apply to OSHA specific regulations. Others
may fall under the General Duty Clause, others still just make common sense and should be addressed.
Please note that this list does not address every OSHA regulation and every industry. It is a general guideline
only. The Six Management Centers include Administrative Safety, Exposure Control, Personal Protection,
Facility Safety, Tools and Equipment, and Behaviors and Attitudes. A brief description of each center and
safety topics related to each follows:
NOTE: This page will be continually updated as additional content is posted on the blog. Each of the content
areas below will have their own section on the blog.
Administrative Safety
What are the tools you need to administer a safety and health program at your workplace?

Safety Program Development How do you set up a safety program and make sure your team buys
into it?

Accident Investigations How do you deal with an accident after the fact? How do you prevent
similar accidents from occurring again?

Emergency Planning How do you plan for the unexpected? How do you teach your employees how
to handle any emergency situation that may appear?

OSHA Recordkeeping What are OSHAs recordkeeping requirements and what must be done to
comply?

Safety Audits How do you regularly review your workplace, equipment, tools, and materials to
ensure all hazards have been addressed?

State and Federal Posting Requirements What are the Federal, State, and industry specific posting
requirements that must be met at all of your work areas?

Exposure Control
How do you prevent your employees from the exposure to hazards?

Asbestos Safety How do you protect your employees from asbestos exposure?

Bloodborne Pathogens How do you protect your employees from blood related exposure, including
needlestick injuries?

Hazardous Materials How do you teach your employees how to read and understand hazardous
material labeling? How do you put preventive measures in place so employees know how to deal
with hazardous spills?

Hot and Cold Working Conditions How do you prevent your employees from exposure to the risk
of hot or cold work environments?

Lead Safety How do you mitigate employee exposure to lead?

Right to Know/Hazard Communications Are your employees and site visitors aware of the
hazardous materials in your workplace? Do they understand how to protect themselves from these
hazards?

Material Safety Data Sheets Can your employees read and understand the MSDS forms for the
materials they use?

Tuberculosis Are your employees protected from Tuberculosis?

Personal Protection
How do you use protective equipment to protect your employees?

Back Safety How do you protect your employees from normal day-to-day activities that may result
in back injury?

Eye Safety Do you have sufficient protection in place to care for the eye safety of your employees?

Fall Protection Do you and your employees understand and correctly implement OSHA fall
protection standards?

First Aid What are the requirements as prescribed by OSHA for first aid training and aid stations?

Hand, Wrist, and Finger Safety How do you protect your employees from hand, wrist, and finger
injuries while on the job?

Hearing Safety Do you require a hearing conservation program at your workplace?

Personal Protective Equipment Have you thoroughly reviewed all your work processes and
determined if personal protective equipment is required?

Respiratory Protection Do your employees work in environments requiring respiratory protection?

Are your employees properly trained to the use and maintenance of these protection devices?

Safety Showers and Eyewashes Do you follow OSHA specific requirements for safety showers and
eyewashes?

Facility Safety
How do you make sure your facilities are safe for your employees and visitors?

Confined Spaces Do you require a confined space program at your workplace?

Electrical Safety Have you established an electrical safety plan at your workplace and put
preventive measures in place?

Ergonomics Have you addressed ergonomics related injuries in both your production and office
environments?

Fire Safety Do you have the correct fire extinguishers in your office? Are they properly
maintained? Do your employees know what to do in case of a fire?

Indoor Air Quality Have you monitored your work areas for indoor air quality problems? Do you
know what to look for and how to address potential risks?

Lockout Tagout Do you have controls in place to protect workers from the accidental exposure to
energy sources?

Material Handling Do your employees know how to handle job related materials? Do they properly
use/understand the tools available to aid in material handling while reducing the risk for loss or
injury?

Office Safety Do you have an office safety plan in place? Are you sure everything you need is
included?

Slips, Trips, & Falls Do you monitor walking and working surfaces for hazards that may result in
slips, trips, or falls?

Tools and Equipment

How do you ensure your team knows how to safely use and maintain the tools and equipment at your
workplace?

Compressed Gases Do your employees know/understand how to safely use compressed gas
cylinders?

Computer Safety Do you have protective measures in place to address the repetitive injury issues
associated with computers?

Crane Safety Does your team know/understand how to operate and work around your cranes? Do
you have a crane safety program & checklists in place to prevent accidents & injuries?

Driving Safety Have you adopted a defensive driving program for your drivers?

Forklift Safety Do you have certified forklift drivers at your workplace? Have other team members
exposed to forklifts been trained how to effectively work around them?

Hand and Power Tool Safety Have your employees been trained how to safely use the hand &
power tools required for their jobs?

Ladder Safety Do your employees know how to select the correct ladder for the job?

Machine Guarding Do you regularly inspect your workplace to ensure all machine guarding is in
place and not removed? Do you follow maintenance recommendations on your equipment to ensure
guarding is functioning properly?

Rigging Safety Do your employees know/understand correct rigging procedures?

Scaffolding Safety Do you have supported/suspended scaffolding procedures in place?

Welding Safety Are your employees trained to the safety precautions identified by OSHA for the
various types of welding activities? Do you feel your employees are safe while working around
welders?

Behavior and Attitude

How do you address the behaviors of employees and workplace visitors that may have an adverse effect on
the safety and health of your team?

Conflict Resolution How does your organization deal with conflict? Left to fester, workplace
conflict can cause many problems, one of the worst is a lack of focus on the work at hand.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse Do you have drug and alcohol prevention policies established?

Fitness and Wellness Do you promote the fitness and health of your employees?

Harassment How does your firm deal with employee & sexual harassment? Do you have measures
in place to help protect employees from harassment?

Safety Housekeeping Do you have a clean workplace? Have you trained your employees of the
hazards of the work around?

Safety Orientations Have you developed a thorough safety orientation program that addresses all
the work processes an employee is responsible to perform and the safety precautions they are
required to take?

Workplace Stress Have you addressed issues associated with job stress and provide enough relief to
employees to make sure stress does not expose them to other safety hazards?

Workplace Violence Do you have a violence protection policy in place at your workplace?

What must we do to comply?

Employers have specific responsibilities under OSHA they must perform to ensure the safety and health of
their workers. The following list is a summary of the most important ones:

Comply with OSHA Regulations keep your workplace free from serious recognized hazards.

Monitor your workplace conditions to make sure they conform to OSHA standards.

Make sure tools and equipment are properly maintained prior to employee use.

Identify hazards for your employees by using color codes, posters, labels and signs.

Develop/maintain safe operating procedures and train employees follow the requirements.

Provide medical examinations and training when required by OSHA standards.

Post the OSHA Poster (or the state-plan equivalent) informing employees of their rights and
responsibilities at a prominent location within the workplace.

Report any fatal accident or one that results in the hospitalization of three or more employees to the
nearest OSHA office within 8 hours.

Keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses. and give employees, former employees, and their
representatives access to the OSHA Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300).

Provide employee medical & exposure records to employees or their authorized representatives upon
their request.

Identify authorized employee representatives who may be asked to accompany the OSHA
compliance officer during an inspection.

Do not discriminate against employees who exercise their rights under the Act.

Post OSHA citations at or near the work area involved until the violation has been corrected, or for
three working days, whichever is longer.

Correct violations by the deadline set in the OSHA citation and submit required verification
documentation.

What is a Safety Program?

Introduction
A safety program is a set of policies and work practices specifically designed by your company for your
company. It addresses not only the OSHA regulations and ways to reduce the exposure to hazards in your
work areas, but also organizes a performance driven framework for continued focus and improvement on
safety.
When you think about the term safety program, you probably think about the OSHA regulations and
procedures for handling fire extinguishers or ladders, for example. This is only partly true. A safety program
is more than canned procedures on how to comply with OSHA regulations. An effective safety program is
designed around the work processes or tasks normally assigned to employees and integrates safety and
health related decisions and precautions into them.

What should be included?

OSHA has developed their own guide to developing safety and health programs. Although I feel it is a great
start, it just does not provide the bang for the buck that is essential to business both small and large.
OSHA provides great advice like place safety posters conspicuously in high traffic areas to remind
employees to be safe. To me that is just background noise. If you are a company preparing to spend time and
money and really want to encourage your employees to adopt what you are designing, a safety program
needs to be more than that.
I have been a business analyst and process improvement consultant for over 17 years. Listed below are the
elements I feel are essential to first, establish a safety program that contributes to the bottom line meaning
it provides maximum protection for your workers and minimizes your downtime. Second, it must clearly
comply with the OSHA regulations that are required by the scope of work your employees perform. Third, it
must be usable and preferably automatic integrated into your day-to-day work processes for your
employees to understand and remember it.
NOTE: This page will be continually updated as additional content is posted on the blog. Each of the content
areas below will have their own section on the blog.
How do we get started?
How do you build a framework for a performance driven safety and health program?

Strategic Planning Does your strategic planning process encourage you to build measurable goals
when it comes to safety and health?

Written Policy Do you have a formal written policy statement regarding safety and health at your
organization? Do you document policy and procedures and incorporate them into your operations
manual?

Performance Measure Do you measure safety and health Key Performance Indicators beyond the
required recordkeeping forms and EMR ratings?

How do we assign roles and responsibilities?

Do you have clearly delineated responsibilities that are both rolled into your operating procedures and job
descriptions?

Leadership Are leaders clear on their responsibilities to champion the cause and provide
guidance and support where needed?

Employees Are employees clear on their responsibilities to work to the system, knowing still that
the system is only as good as what they make it?

Safety Committee Do your employees feel empowered that they are helping your company
improve and grow? Have you established a decision making framework for addressing safety
concerns and improvements?

What is a process assessment?

Do you clearly understand the tasks that your employees perform every day? Are you ready to integrate
safety and health controls into those work procedures

Information gathering Do you have all the safety information your company needs to build an
operations manual?

Workplace assessments How would you currently rate your safety and health efforts on a task-bytask or department-by-department basis?

Swimlane diagrams Do you clearly document your work processes using tools such as swimlane
diagrams so that everyone knows what is needed to be complete, by whom, and in what order?

What OSHA safety topics do we work to?

How do you build a framework for a performance driven safety and health program? Do you have controls
in place for all of these areas?

Administrative Safety How do you incorporate administrative safety procedures into your
operations manual? How do you make them enforceable?

Exposure Control What do you look for in your operating procedures that help you address the fact
that employees are exposed to hazards that must be mitigated?

Personal Protection How do you go about determining if a work process required Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE)?

Facility Safety How do you roll safety procedures into your normal facility management system?

Tools and Equipment What do you do to ensure that employees are using the correct tool for the
job?

Behavioral & Attitude What do you do to go about instilling a positive attitude when it comes to
safety and health at your workplace?

How do we address hazards?

How do you build a framework for a performance driven safety and health program?

Hazard analysis Now that you have gathered the needed information about your tools, equipment,
and work processes, and now that you are familiar with the six centers of safety, how do you assess
your current situation and identify OSHA regulations that are required for you to comply?

Analysis process How do you go about applying OSHA safety controls to your work processes?

Work procedures How do you best go about developing your operations manual with the required
safety and health policies incorporated?

How do we train our employees?

How do you build a framework for a performance driven safety and health program?

Types of training Now that you are clear on the new procedures you must use to comply with
OSHA regulations, how do you train your employees? What are the requirements for training
different members of your team?

Your training program How do you develop a safety training program in conjunction with your
normal operational training, new employee orientation, and employee development programs?

Training delivery What is the best type of training? Offsite through OSHA? Onsite by a third
party? Team training by your supervisors? Safety videos? Read & sign training? Toolbox talks? All
or none of them? It depends

How do we document our efforts?

How do you build a framework for a performance driven safety and health program?

OSHA recordkeeping How do you comply with the OSHA Log of Work-Related Injuries and
Illnesses (OSHA Form 300) requirements? What other OSHA related recordkeeping is required?

Employee records How do you maintain employee medical, testing, training, or exposure records?

Program records How do you document your efforts relating to your safety program development?
What is the best way to maintain all of this?

All employees have the right to a safe and healthy workplace

What are my rights?
Introduction

Every employee has the right to a safe workplace. OSHA was created to make sure your rights are protected.
OSHA regulations require employers to take specific measures to protect you from recognized hazards.
Over the past 40 years, OSHA regulations, training, and enforcement has reduced workplace fatalities by
more than 60 percent and workplace injuries and illness by 40 percent. Still, the work continues. Each year,
close to 5,200 Americans die from on the job accidents & injuries. That is more loss of life that during the
attacks of September 11th. Worse, it is estimated that as many as 50,000 employees die due to exposure
related illnesses. That is just death statistics, though. Non-fatal work related injuries and illnesses impact
nearly 4.3 million American workers, at a cost of more than $156 billion dollars annually.
OSHA clearly is making a difference, but to me, and I hope to you as well, this is not enough. This section
identifies the rights and the responsibilities both you and your employer have in regards to your safety on the
job. It also tells you what you can do and who you should contact if you have additional questions or
concerns.
Am I covered?

If you work for a company and not part of the government, than you are most likely covered by either the
Federal OSHA regulations or if the state you work in opted to do so, State specific OSHA programs. Your
employer is must comply with the applicable State/Federal OSHA regulations that relate to the type of work
you and your company performs. If your employer fails to comply with a regulation, OSHA can fine them
for violating health and safety standards.
If you are a Federal worker, you are covered by the agency you work for. Federal Agencies are required to
maintain safety and health programs meeting the same standards that apply to private employers. The only
difference here, is that Federal (except for the U.S. Postal Services) cannot be fined for violating health and
safety standards.
What are my rights?

OSHA regulations enable workers to play an important role in the identification and correction of workplace
hazards. It is always best to first contact your employer if you see a problem. Often, employers will correct
hazardous conditions if they are called to their attention.
Workers also have specific rights under OSHA to:

Receive employer provided training as specified and required by OSHA standards

applicable to your scope of work.

Request information from your employer about OSHA standards, worker injuries and
illnesses, job hazards and workers rights. This includes your employers OSHA 300 log
documenting occupational injuries and illnesses and any relevant exposure and medical
records that are required to be maintained. Employers must provide information to you
or your designated representative with 15 days of your request.

Request your employer take action to protect you from hazards or correct OSHA
violations. You can ask your employer to correct hazards even if they violating specific
OSHA regulations. Make sure to keep copies of any requests you make or any other
correspondence with your employer to correct hazards.

File a complaint against your employer with OSHA. More information on filing a
complaint is provided in a separate section below.

Be involved during an OSHA inspection of your workplace. You have a right to talk
privately and confidentially to the OSHA compliance officer and also may request an
authorized employee representative (such as a union representative) accompany the
OSHA compliance officer during the inspection. You are also allowed to point out any
hazards (describe injuries, illnesses, or near misses resultant of those hazards). Also be
sure to inform the inspector if conditions present during the inspection are different
than normal working conditions (i.e. equipment shut down, windows opened, etc.).

Be provided with the results of OSHA inspections at your workplace. OSHA will contact
your employee representative to let them know whether your employer is in
compliance. The inspector also will provide detailed information about the efforts your
employer has taken to protect you from hazards.

Participate in meetings or hearings to discuss objections your employer may have to

OSHAs citations or to changes in abatement deadlines.

File a formal appeal of deadlines for correction of hazards.

File a discrimination complaint (within 30 days) if you are punished or discriminated

against for exercising your rights under OSHA or for refusing to work when faced with
imminent danger of death or serious injury.

Request a research investigation be completed to review possible workplace health

hazards. Contact the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to
request a health hazard evaluation if you are concerned about toxic effects of a
substance in the workplace.

Provide comments and/or testimony to OSHA during research and rule-making on new
standards.

What are my responsibilities?

Very simply, OSHA requires that employees comply with all safety and health standards that apply to their
actions on the job. Employees should:

Read the OSHA safety and health poster.

Follow their employers safety and health rules and wear or use all required protective
gear and equipment.

Follow safe work procedures for your job, as directed by your employer.

Report hazardous conditions to a supervisor or your company safety committee.

If your employer does not fix hazardous conditions you report, contact OSHA.

What must my employer do?

The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to provide a safe and healthful workplace free
of recognized hazards and to follow OSHA standards. Employer Responsibilities also include providing
training, medical examinations and recordkeeping.

What if I think my workplace is unsafe?

If you believe working conditions are unsafe or unhealthful, we recommend that you bring the conditions to
your employers attention, if possible. Your employer may want to contact OSHA or your state consultation
service in order to gather information about how to improve working conditions.
You may file a complaint with OSHA concerning a hazardous working condition at any time. However, you
should not leave the worksite merely because you have filed a complaint. If the condition clearly presents a
risk of death or serious physical harm, there is not sufficient time for OSHA to inspect, and, where possible,
you have brought the condition to the attention of your employer, you may have a legal right to refuse to
work in a situation in which you would be exposed to the hazard. You may file a complaint with OSHA if
you believe there may be a violation of an OSHA standard or a serious safety or health hazard at work. You
may request that your name not be revealed to your employer. You can file a complaint on this web site, in
writing or by telephone to the nearest your OSHA area office. You may also call the office and speak with an
OSHA compliance officer about a hazard, violation, or the process for filing a complaint.

What if I am in imminent danger?

Call (800) 321-OSHA immediately to report imminent dangers

Definition of Imminent Danger

Section 13(a) of the Act defines imminent danger as ..any conditions or practices in any place of
employment which are such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or
serious physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through the
enforcement procedures otherwise provided by this Act.
Requirements. The following conditions must be met before a hazard becomes an imminent danger:

There must be a threat of death or serious physical harm. Serious physical harm
means that a part of the body is damaged so severely that it cannot be used or cannot
be used very well.

For a health hazard there must be a reasonable expectation that toxic substances or
other health hazards are present and exposure to them will shorten life or cause
substantial reduction in physical or mental efficiency. The harm caused by the health
hazard does not have to happen immediately.

The threat must be immediate or imminent. This means that you must believe that
death or serious physical harm could occur within a short time, for example before
OSHA could investigate the problem.

If an OSHA inspector believes that an imminent danger exists, the inspector must
inform affected employees and the employer that he is recommending that OSHA take
steps to stop the imminent danger.

OSHA has the right to ask a federal court to order the employer to eliminate the
imminent danger

Can I refuse to do the work requested?

When you believe working conditions are unsafe or unhealthful, you should call your employers attention
to the problem. If your employer does not correct the hazard or disagrees with you about the extent of the
hazard, you also may file a complaint with OSHA.Refusing to do a job because of potentially unsafe
workplace conditions is not ordinarily an employee right under the OSH Act. (Your union contract or state
law may, however, give you this right, but OSHA cannot enforce it.) Refusing to work may result in
disciplinary action by the employer. However, employees do have the right to refuse to do a job if they
believe in good faith that they are exposed to an imminent danger. Good faith means that even if an
imminent danger is not found to exist, the worker had reasonable grounds to believe that it did exist.But, as a
general rule, you do not have the right to walk off the job because of unsafe conditions. If you do and your
employer fires or disciplines you, OSHA may not be able to protect you. So, stay on the job until the
problem can be resolved.Your right to refuse to do a task is protected if all of the following conditions are
met:

Where possible, you have asked the employer to eliminate the danger, and the
employer failed to do so

You refused to work in good faith. This means that you must genuinely believe that
an imminent danger exists. Your refusal cannot be a disguised attempt to harass your
employer or disrupt business

A reasonable person would agree that there is a real danger of death or serious injury

There isnt enough time, due to the urgency of the hazard, to get it corrected through
regular enforcement channels, such as requesting an OSHA inspection.

When all of these conditions are met, you take the following steps:

Ask your employer to correct the hazard

Ask your employer for other work

Tell your employer that you wont perform the work unless and until the hazard is
corrected

Remain at the worksite until ordered to leave by your employer

If your employer discriminates against you for refusing to perform the dangerous work, contact OSHA
immediately.

Can I get in trouble for this?

The OSH Act and other laws protect workers who complain to their employer, union, OSHA or other
government agencies about unsafe or unhealthful conditions in the workplace or environmental problems.
You cannot be transferred, denied a raise, have your hours reduced, be fired, or punished in any other way
because you have exercised any right afforded to you under the OSH Act. Help is available from OSHA for
whistleblowers.

What other rights do I have?

Other federal agencies protect workers rights also. Visit the websites at the National Labor Relations Board,
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, or the Occupational Safety and
Health Review Commission to learn more about other protections for workers.