What Is OSHA Compliance?
Standing for ‘The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’, OSHA is a regulation that is in place to prevent on-the-job illness and injury. Every employer has a responsibility to ensure a healthy and safety-compliant workplace for their workforce and as well as being a moral choice, it is also backed by law.
OSHA specifies responsibilities that dive deeper than more top-level safety measures which only cover the basic needs of workers, ensuring that businesses are providing the necessary equipment and safety processes needed to protect the wellbeing of staff.
In order to be OSHA compliant, a business will need to operate under safe working conditions which align with tested methods, adhering to all applicable regulations that suit the nature of the business. On a more general level, these types of measures include providing necessary PPE in hazardous areas, keeping a record of injuries, and providing safety information to those accessing prohibited areas.
Failure To Abide With OSHA
Being taken incredibly seriously by the authorities, businesses who fail to comply with the regulations are liable for prosecution. As well as being a risk to the company in terms of legalities, not implementing the necessary safety measures can lead to issues that can not only lose the organization's money but even result in serious harm or death of employees.
If an event was considered preventable, it has not aligned with OSHA compliance and is seen as a violation. An inspector will assess the specific situation and subsequent penalties are scaled to the severity of the violation, labeled using different categories which include willful, serious, other-than-serious, de minimis, failure to abate, and repeated. Although penalties differ, a standard fine tends to cost approximately $12,000 per violation and if this is not corrected, the fine can be given each day until addressed. For those who fall into the willful or repeated categories, the fines can span a whopping $126,000.
Tips For Staying Compliant
Know The Legalities
Every employer should familiarize themselves with the hazards in their workplace, having an understanding of which regulations apply to their industry. The OSHA website contains plenty of useful information and safety resources that can be used to break down the laws and help address a range of topics such as accident prevention, incident reporting, employee training, and hazard communication.
Address The Hazards
With the main aim of OSHA being to eradicate workplace hazards, identifying them as soon as possible will keep risk to a minimum. From installing barrier guards on dangerous machinery to supplying workers with the protective wear they need to safely carry out their roles, recognizing potential hazards and addressing them immediately is a key aspect of OSHA.
Conducting a thorough job hazard analysis is the best way to identify any areas for improvement and this can be used to develop specific safety strategies based on the findings. For smaller businesses that do not have an in-house safety director, there are plenty of free resources available or professional site consultations can be booked for visits.
Introduce Safety Policies
Having a written set of policies will ensure all employees are on the same page and can familiarize themselves with the safety procedures which have been put into place. Once written, these can be shared with new employees and should be easily accessible for existing employees so they can be referred to as and when needed.
Some smaller companies find the prospect of creating a safety policy overwhelming but online sources can be used as a base and then adapted according to the nature of the business, using the opportunity to identify any areas which may have been missed. Once in place, the business can remain compliant with OSHA's standards and introduce effective policies, processes, and procedures to improve the working standards for employees.
Keep An Updated Record
Employers are advised to keep a detailed electronic record of any incidents which have occurred on the premises. OSHA has recently updated its guidelines to state that businesses with 250 or more employees do not need to submit OSHA Form 300 and Form 301, a positive for most companies to ease the pressure. Although regulations have been eased, it is still necessary to maintain detailed records on every work-related injury, and illness and report fatalities which need to be sent to OSHA on a frequent basis in order for them to be able to track the incidents in line with their regulations.
Carry Out Frequent Employee Training
Being a core element of any safety policy, all persons involved need to be trained on the procedures which have been implemented. General health and safety practices should be regularly reiterated and any machinery used in a job role should be fully briefed on before use. OSHA requires all employers to stay on top of regular training sessions which reflect on any changes or advancements in processes and equipment.
Appoint A Safety Officer
In small to medium-sized businesses, a safety officer is not necessarily a full-time role and is not something many employers feel like they are able to budget for on a full-time basis. Instead of going down the recruitment route, assigning a team member (or multiple team members) to be responsible for staying OSHA compliant will ensure the process maximizes efficiency.
If this duty is given in addition to an existing job role, it is important that the selected employee is given sufficient time to proactively research any changes in OSHA rules, create safety plans, record any injuries that happen at work, and perform other safety-related tasks in a timely manner. By having a safety officer who is familiar with the regulations, they are more likely to become aware of any issues before they have time to become a problem and can deal with them as soon as possible.
The officer can subscribe to the Federal Register which sends updates on OSHA standards as they are adopted and updated, keeping up with the laws and undergoing regular inspections accordingly.
