Does your organization have concerns about violating OSHA laws? OSHA violations can incur high fines and put your organization at risk for health and safety standards. Learn how you can help prevent OSHA violations from the experts at Prescott HR!
What is OSHA?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, was created in 1971 to assure that all working men and women are provided with healthy and safe working conditions. This is accomplished through set standards by the U.S. Department of Labor and requires businesses to undergo training to meet OSHA requirements. Common OSHA violations include:
- Fall protection
- Hazard communication
- Respiratory protection
- Scaffolding
- Powered industrial trucks
- Eye and face protection
Here are some helpful tips and plans to implement so your organization can avoid costly OSHA violation penalties.
Train Your Staff
This is probably the most important step you can take in assuring your organization avoids an OSHA violation. Every employee that is hired must be trained on their role and made away of any safety standards to avoid workplace injury. Making your employees aware of potential safety hazards can help reduce workplace injuries in the future.
Create a Safety Plan
Take some time to evaluate your organization and any potential workplace hazards that may exist. Familiarize yourself with common OSHA violations and then conduct a “run-through” of your organization to see if you could potentially be vulnerable to one. Also, make sure that you have PPE (personal protective equipment) available to your staff wherever it’s needed.
Conduct Regular Safety Checks
It’s not enough to just evaluate your organization’s workplace safety once a year. Businesses should be regularly conducting workplace safety checks to help avoid any future injuries and identify areas of potential harm. You can even involve your employees in the process! OSHA protects employees from owner retaliation, should they report a potential safety concern at their workplace. Make sure that your employees know they can come to you or a manager to discuss and address a safety concern before they feel the need to report to OSHA.
Provide Safety Equipment
As we mentioned above, always be sure that your team has the right PPE (personal protective equipment) to perform their work safely. These can include items like goggles, hard hats, and masks. There are other safety equipment considerations you should incorporate into the workplace, too. OSHA also requires respirators to be on site when employees have to work in environments with insufficient oxygen or where harmful materials are involved, like dust, fog, smoke, fumes, gases, or vapors.
Work with Prescott HR
Does your organization need help with making your workplace safe? We are here to help! Prescott HR offers a wide range of services that can help your organization recruit new talent, including creative hiring ideas. Our unintimated HR practices allow us to be focused and effective, providing your business with exactly what you need.
Give us a call today at 443-351-8818 or contact us online.