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Workplace safety
Historical development of occupational health and safety
Management of health and safety at work act (amended 1994) procedures and policies
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Recommended: Workplace safety
Introduction
Workplace safety is a commonly used phrase that many do not consider until an accident occurs within the workplace. Throughout the U.S., workplace injuries occur on a daily basis. This has been an issue in the workforce for many years and is still an ongoing issue. Are there laws that protect employees from an unsafe work environment; what is the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); and how did the labor unions affect the law? In this paper these following questions will be addressed, as well as the background and driving force of OSHA.
Definition of the OSHA Law
According to the OSHA website, www.osha.gov , retrieved August 27, 2004, it states
“OSHA's mission is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health”. In addition, as of the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, each employer shall furnish his employees a place of employment free from recognized hazards that cause and/or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees; before the enactment employers were only bound by common law to provide a safe work environment for its employees.
OSHA also enforces that employees are not exempt and shall comply with occupational safety and health standards under this Act. Employee conduct, must comply with the OSHA rules and regulations and orders which are applicable to their own action and conduct (Bennett-Alexander-Hartman: Employment Law for Business, Fourth Edition, p 690 p. 2-3).
Background and Driving Force
Getting started, the impetus to OSHA was to develop a new safety and or health standard in the workforce. Congress collected information indicating the status quo in the working environment included unacceptable hazards in the workplace. The OSHA act was passed through congress based on a series of information collected through sources such as the Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS); National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH); Environmental Protection Agency's Toxic Substances Control Act (TOSCA) referral; public petitions; or requests from OSHA advisory committees.
Empowered with the knowledge of existing workplace hazards a...
... middle of paper ...
...ed to workplace safety and are very personally involved, watching legislative decisions, protesting presidential nominees and lobbying.
Conclusion
While workplace safety and health standards have improved due to OSHA, the mission of the Act is still being carried out for America’s workers. Both employers and employees are responsible to be in compliance with the Act’s rules and regulations.
References
University of Phoenix. (Ed.). 2004. Employment Law [University of Phoenix Custom
Edition e-Resource]. Bennett-Alexander-Hartman: Employment Law for Business, Fourth Edition. Retrieved August 27, 2004, from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT/434-Employment Law Web site: https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/ resource/resource.asp OSHA Home Page August 27, 2004. http://www.osha.gov
Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/oshafacts.html on Monday, August 30
University of Phoenix. (Ed.). 2004. Employment Law [University of Phoenix Custom
Edition e-Resource]. Bennett-Alexander-Hartman: Employment Law for Business, Fourth Edition. Retrieved August 32, 2004, from University of Phoenix, Resource, MGT/434-Employment Law Web site: https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/
resource/resource.asp
Moran, J. J. (2008). Employment law: New challenges in the business environment. New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Sloane. A. A., Witney, F. (2010). LABOR RELATIONS (13th editions). Prentice Hall. Upper Saddle River, NJ
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...llowing duties of the employees as outlined by the OHSA amended Act, No. 181 of 1993. The Act states that the ‘employee must take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of others; cooperate with the employer in order to fulfill any duty or requirement imposed by the OHSA; carry out any lawful orders and obey the health and safety rules and procedures laid down by the employer or by anyone authorized thereto by the employer, in the interests of health or safety; report any situation which is unsafe or unhealthy as soon as possible to the employer or to the health and safety representatives; and if the employee is involved in any incident which may affect his/her health or which has caused an injury to him/ her, report such incident to the employer or to anyone authorized thereto by the employer as soon as possible thereafter’.
Safety and OSHA News. Is OSHA really barred from enacting a new ergonomics rule? (2012,
Employees can help to make the workplace safer by working with their employer to promote health and safety. As part of their duties under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the employee must:
Following guidelines that OSHA puts in place are put there for a reason; however, some organizations think that OSHA tie their hands on how they run their business. Some have issues with following this because they like taking short cuts to save money, when it could cost them more if they do not follow their guidelines. The dilemma is when they are not following OSHA standards, which is putting their employee’s at risk. An example of this would be organizations such as nuclear power houses that have to keep all their OSHA records. Organizations such as factories need to have a safety personnel on staff at all times to keep the facilities OSHA compliant. When they are not in compliant there will be fines to pay.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), often referred to as the "OSH Act," was enacted in 1970 by President Richard M. Nixon. Its purpose is to assure safe and healthful working conditions for men and women (EPA, 2006). The Act is administered and enforced at the national level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the US Department of Labor. The application of the OSH Act in the current employment climate will be discussed as it applies to a variety of industries; considerations that are most applicable to the specific type of industry will be discussed initially, and those that are equally important regardless of the type of business will complete the section. Finally, this paper will discuss how the OSH act evolved from organized labor activities to federal law and its widespread national application.
So, every worker must take responsibility to know the basic thing about the occupational health due to it most important in doing the job. Occupational health (OH) state that it is a branch of health services specifically concerned with health, safety and welfare of workers of all categories. That mean, all workers in the workplace or any industry must be concern with their health, safety in the workplace. Top management responsibility to provide the safety workplace to their worker. The Health and Safety Executive (2006) further describe that improving worker productivity if investments made by the management of occupational safety and health. It show that, how important of occupation safety and health in the workplace in order to protect worker and its
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) were created in 1970 by the United Congress and President Richard Nixon to protect workers from haphazard and dangerous work zone. The national public health agency was dedicated to the basic proposition that no works should have to choose between their life and their job (https://www.osha.gov/Publications/3302-06N-2006-English.html). The principal federal law requiring private sector employees to keep their workplace free from hazards that threaten the safety and health of employees is the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The OSHA law makes it clear that the right to a safe workplace is a basic human right.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH): Employers are required to provide a safe and healthy work environment free from serious hazards to their employees. Employers must comply with the regulations and standards promoted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (United States Department of Labor, n.d.)
The article “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” (Admin, 2011) points out the importance of keeping the workplace safety and explains the role of Human Resources managers in workplace safety and health maintenance. The Human Resources managers should be more proactive regarding workplace health and safety (Admin, 2011). Although the employers' responsibilities regarding workplace safety and health are both ethically and legally undeniable, “Role of Management in Improving Workplace Safety and Health” makes a critical error by placing those responsibilities entirely on the HR Department. Furthermore, it is not possible to be more proactive because the HR department is not specialized in workplace safety and needs to fulfill other functions within the company. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that defines and regulates employer responsibility in creating and maintaining a safe and healthy environment for employees. Instead of inspecting, evaluating, and developing solutions by themselves, HR managers are responsible only for following OSHA rules and regulations and keep up with current trends proposed by OSHA.
Pointing out that Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Whistleblower Protection Program fortifies the whistleblower provisions, protecting employees who report misconduct and provide information in good faith on wrongdoing, preventing employers from discriminating against their employees for raising their rights under the Act,
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health Administration if a federal agency to oversee health and safety in the working environment.