What OSHA posters are required?

The main poster required to be displayed in a workplace is the mandatory OSHA poster. OSHA offers this poster for free as well as a high-resolution printable document. The poster is titled “OSHA Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law” and goes into detail regarding an employee’s rights and the employer’s obligations to a safe workplace. The poster must be hung or posted in an area that can be clearly seen by employees. Posters are usually posted in break rooms or common areas where workers will often frequent through.

OSHA Poster for Employees' Rights

The poster states the worker’s safety rights that have been established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as well as information that can aide a worker in steps to take if they feel like the workplace is in violations of regulations. Some useful information includes the right to participate in an OSHA inspection, the right to file a complaint, and a right to receive training on job hazards. Essentially, the OSHA poster exists to protect and help the employee. The other benefit of this compliance poster is to remind workers of their own obligations to keep workers safe. Their listed obligations include posting OSHA citations, the requirement to comply with OSHA standards, and to report fatalities and hospitalizations in a timely manner, just to name a few.

It should also be noted that workplaces with employees who communicate in other languages than English, such as Spanish, should also post a translated version of the poster to ensure everyone understands the same safety information.  If your workplace is in a state with an approved state plan, you should be able to acquire a poster with those regulations printed on it.

Under OSHA’s Employer Responsibilities, employers are also required to use color codes, posters, ad signs to adequately warn employees of potential hazards. These types of posters should be easy to read and placed around the facility, specifically near hazardous areas. You can find OSHA’s regulations and standards for poster and sign here.