Know Your Options—and How To Protect Yourself
OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is tasked with protecting the health and safety of workers throughout the US. It was created in 1971 after the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
At the time, approximately 14,000 workers were killed and a further 2.5 million were disabled in the workplace every year. Since it was created, OSHA has reduced workplace fatalities by more than 50%, and massively reduced workplace injuries and illnesses as well.
OSHA both sets and enforces laws and standards to ensure worker safety across all industries, and provides training and assistance to employers and employees as well.
Under OSHA law, employers must continually inspect their locations for hazards; eliminate or minimize those when found; keep documentation of workplace illnesses and injuries; train employees to identify health and safety hazards and prevent accidents; and more.
In addition, employees who report OSHA violations are protected by law from retaliation. Or at least, they’re supposed to be. Unfortunately, retaliation is not unusual.
Here’s how to recognize retaliation, and what to do if it happens to you.
What Are Your Rights Under OSHA?
OSHA protects certain rights for employees, including:
• The right to request information from your employer about workplace dangers and proper procedures.
• The right to request an OSHA inspection if you believe there’s a hazard in the workplace.
• The...
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