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What is OSHA and what does it mean?

Michael Agruss

Written and Reviewed by Michael Agruss

  • Managing Partner and Personal Injury Lawyer at Mike Agruss Law.
  • Over 20 years of experience in Personal Injury.
  • Over 8000+ consumer rights cases settled.
  • Graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law: Juris Doctor, 2004.

 

OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. OSHA was established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which President Nixon signed into law in 1970.

OSHA’s mission is to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance”. This includes enforcing statutes and regulations and providing workplace inspections that have been shown to reduce injury rates and costs without adverse effects to employers. 

Under the OSH Act, employers are required to provide a safe workplace for their employees which does not have any serious hazards and must follow all OSHA safety and health standards. If any health or safety problems arise, they are to be corrected and employers are to first eliminate or reduce hazards by making feasible changes in working conditions rather than relying on personal protection equipment.

Employers must also do the following:

  • Inform workers about chemical hazards through training, labels, alarms, color-coded systems, chemical information sheets, and other methods.
  • Provide safety training to workers in a language and vocabulary they can understand
  • Keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
  • Perform tests in the workplace required by some OSH Act standards.
  • Provide required personal protective equipment at no cost to workers.
  • Provide hearing exams or other medical tests when required by OSH Act standards.
  • Post OSHA citations and annually post injury and illness summary data where workers can see them.
  • Notify OSHA within eight hours of a workplace fatality. Notify OSHA within 24 hours of all work-related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations, and all losses of an eye.
  • Prominently display the official OSHA Job Safety and Health – It’s the Law poster that describes the rights and responsibilities under the OSH Act.
  • Not retaliate or discriminate against workers for using their rights under the law, including their right to report a work-related injury or illness.

Employees, under the OSH Act, have the following rights:

  • Work in working conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm.
  • File a confidential complaint with OSHA to have their workplace inspected.
  • Receive information and training about hazards, methods to prevent harm, and the OSH Act standards that apply to their workplace. The training must be done in a language and vocabulary workers can understand.
  • Receive copies of records of work-related injuries and illnesses that occur in their workplace.
  • Receive copies of the results from tests and monitoring done to find and measure hazards in their workplace.
  • Receive copies of their workplace medical records.
  • Participate in an OSHA inspection and speak in private with the inspector.
  • File a complaint with OSHA if they have been retaliated or discriminated against by their employer as a result of requesting an inspection or using any of their other rights under the OSH Act.
  • File a complaint if punished or retaliated against for acting as a “whistleblower” under the 21 additional federal laws for which OSHA has jurisdiction. 

If a worker is a temporary employee, they are to be treated as a permanent employee, however, the staffing agency and the employer will share responsibility for the worker. If any violations occur, both the agency and employer could be held liable. 

If you suspect that your employer is in violation of the OSH Act and you were injured, you have rights. An experienced personal injury lawyer can review your claim and determine if there were unsafe working conditions, potential OSHA violations, and other hazards that may have existed at the time of your accident. They will also determine who may be liable for your injuries and damages and what compensation you may be entitled to.

We at Mike Agruss Law are proud to serve our fellow citizens in personal injury cases, especially when you or a loved one has been injured, and we are fully committed to protecting your rights and ensuring that the other party is held legally accountable when negligence occurs. We will fight until the very end to ensure that you are fully compensated for all injuries and losses resulting from the accident, including medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and you won’t owe us a dime for our services. 

We see you as a person, not just a client – and that makes us better at work we do. We listen. We learn your story. And, as we help you get the money you deserve, we go above and beyond in a way most law firms never could and never would. Because we’re not just lawyers. And you’re not just a client. We’re friends, neighbors, family. We’re all people and here at Mike Agruss Law, we put People, First

Helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience successfully representing the people, not the powerful, we will take care of the insurance adjusters, your medical bills, your property damage, your lost wages, and monitor your treatment so you can focus on healing and getting your life back to normal. Our unique formula has earned us over 900 outstanding client reviews on our website, an A+ BBB rating, and over 120 five-star reviews on Google.  Call 888-572-0176, e-mail us at [email protected] or schedule a meeting with us here. We’re here 24/7. 

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