The Importance Of OSHA (Occupational Safety And Health Administration) In a Business

In the year 1970, Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted to protect workers from workplace hazards. Each year, thousands of cases are recorded related to injuries in workplace, so, having OSHA compliance is a necessity for a lot of industries. This is a law that requires companies to enact policies and procedures aimed at protecting their workers. A federal agency is present dedicated to protect the health and safety of these employees. Adhering to OSHA standards not only leads to a safer workplace, but also promotes productivity and profitability for a business.

• Compliance

OSHA has established a set of safety guidelines as a gold standard for a variety of businesses across the United States. Companies must follow these safe work practices, provide protective equipment and gear, and invest in training the employees to create safety awareness. As an example, the trucking companies need to purchase load bar racks from a dealer who has a reputation of selling OSHA complied equipment. There are a few good e-commerce stores currently, which can guarantee you that.

The managers at a business must be well acquainted with OSHA compliance, and have the ability to oversee and enforce safety regulations, if and when required. They must understand how to handle emergency incidents in the right direction.

• Benefits

OSHA revolutionized the way we think of workplace safety. Although employment in US has almost doubled, fatalities at workplaces have gone down by more than 65 percent since OSHA came into the picture. As per reports, there were about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970, as compared to 13 per day in 2011. Talking about workplace injury and illness rates, these rates have also come down significantly.
Abiding by OSHA regulations along with a well-designed safety program can save money in a business. Accidents and injuries at the job site can result in major medical as well as legal expenses. Training employees beforehand, if the business seems vulnerable can prevent these costly incidents from occurring.

• Inspections

Inspectors may arrive at a workplace unexpectedly and ask questions regarding the best practices of safety. To ensure everything goes smooth, it is best to have a designated point-of-contact person to answer the inspection officials. Let your employees know what to expect in case of an incident to avoid confusion during a potentially critical situation.

• Penalties

OSHA enforces its regulations with the help of penalties to discourage use of unethical (unsafe) workplace practices. Businesses that are found incompetent with OSHA regulations are given a limited amount of time to pay or appeal their citation. Failing to do so will have costly consequences for the company and the owner. To avoid penalties, make sure you keep in touch with OSHA to find out which safety standards apply to your particular business and then implement the specified policies and procedures to ensure OSHA compliance at the workplace. Post safety regulations in visible areas and update them as and when required.

Author's Bio: The author is a blogger and the article is about OSHA compliance.