Which Federal Law Protects You Against Health Hazards at Work?
The federal that protects the rights of every employee at the work place is known as Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). The Act requires that all the employees work in a conducive environment that is safe and hazard free. What rights are you guaranteed by OSHA as a worker? There are several rights that you will be guaranteed by this federal act that includes; the right to see OSHA citations that are issued by your employer and the right to notify either OSHA or your employee about the workplace hazards. Besides these, you also have the right to file a complaint with OSHA within 30 days and the right to all your medical records, plus records to any expose to toxic substances.
Who is covered by OSHA?
OSHA is after ensuring healthy working conditions for all employees, but only in the private sectors. This, therefore, implies that anyone who works on the family farms, as independent contractors and the public sector, that is those employed by the government are not covered by this federal Act.
What are OSHA’s requirements for employers?
Since this Act covers those under the employers, there are certain requirements that OSHA will demand from the employer. Some of these includes;
· Reporting nay kind of serious or fatal in less than 8 hours to OSHA
· Informing all the employees about the potential hazards.
· The employer should also train the employees on how to approach the hazards.
· The employer should also comply with the OSHA regulation and offer a safe working environment
· All the practices and equipment should conform to the OSHA standards.
· Lastly, the employer need to ensure that the employees are using the equipment and tools safely.
What kind of hazards must my employer warn me about?
Besides conforming to the demands of OSHA as an employer, you still have the responsibility to warn all your employees of certain hazards at the work place. The employer should warn the employees on a known hazard once the employer has been informed about such hazards. As an employee, you should also be able to bring any kind of hazard to the attention of your employee.
These are some of the key factors that you need to be informed about as an employee or employer in the private sector. OSHA is there to ensure the safety of all employees in the private sector.
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