peer reviews
By: Shamar English
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration preface was in 1970. The pertinence of the administration was to guarantee that companies were providing their employees with safe and sanitary working conditions. They installed standards and regulations for training, outreach, education, and assistance, that they oblige companies to follow. OSHA concentrates on emphasizing, monitoring, and enforcing protective safety and health standards. They are also magnanimous with information, training, assistances to employers and workers.
OSHA’s right to know law provides workers and their representatives with the opportunity to observe information that employers have the inclinations to accumulate, they are details adherent to hazards occurring in the work environment. All workers have the right to know the dangers that are prevalent on the job site and how to protect themselves from them to the their ability.
There is a plethora of health-related hazardous at work, but it depends on the work field, so that must always be kept in mind. For example, there’s chemical (asbestos, solvents, and chlorine); biological (tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis, molds); physical (noise, heat and cold, radiation, vibration); ergonomics or repetitive strain injuries (carpal tunnel syndrome, and back injuries); psychological (stress), and etcetera. OSHA impel companies to follow their regulations and standards through the execution of inspections that are categorized through the degrees of risk like imminent danger situations, fatality, or worker complaint.
These standards and regulations are safety structures that keeps employees out of the thralls of dangerous situations, therefore, it reduces the number of incident reports. For example, an Human Resource manager for a construction company reported an incidence rate of 7.5 percent compared to last year’s rate of 4.2 percent that was reported (ch.13). Companies who cooperate with the regulations and standards face less incidences of employees getting hurt or worse and fines from OSHA.
Kristin Johnson
The safety of workers within any employer is the most important aspect. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) has a primary responsibility of ensuring safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance (Human Resource Management, 2016). Keeping employees safe ensures that production can continue. If employees are continually getting hurt, not only will the company have to stop production and lose money, but they will also face hefty fines from OSHA. Right-to-know laws were established by Congress to require local and state governments to provide emergency response plans to respond to a chemical emergency (Human Resource Management, 2016). Within this law, companies must also provide material safety data sheets, that inform employees what is in the chemicals and products that are being used within the company and potential hazardous issues that could occur. There are many different health related hazards that can happen at work: stress, cumulative trauma disorders, issues from video display terminals, chemical and fragrance sensitivities, issues from chemicals and substances, workplace violence and bullying, identity theft, and terrorism. Obviously, some of these are not what you would think would be under the umbrella of workplace hazards, but they are. Ensuring that each company promotes an environment of safety in all aspects keeps issues from potentially happening. Disregarding these standards can cause potential harm, death, and massive fines.
Human Resources will always be in the middle of things like this. They are there to help not only the company, but the employees as well. They are there to help counsel the employee when accidents occur or whenever other health hazards happen. They are also there to help ensure policies are being followed, regardless of the circumstances. Ensuring the employees have training regarding this is one of HR's jobs, as well.