Tyler Monteros

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was first established in 1971 to make sure that every singly man and woman working in the U.S are working under safe and healthful working conditions and preserve our human resources. The main functions of OSHA is about placing standards and directing adequate work environment inspections to warrant that the employers are following protocol and providing their employees with safe and healthful work conditions. Before OSHA was first implemented by the Department of Labor, many work environments were extremely hazardous to employees health as well as extremely dangerous. After the implementation of OSHAct, workplace fatalities have reduced by 62 percent, and workplace related injuries and illnesses have reduced by 40 percent. OSHAct, time and time again, has proven by percentages, that the introduction of these regulations were necessary in the rapid growth of successful, safe, and healthy businesses in the U.S. OSHA has many processes and steps to their methods in providing these safe, and healthy work environments, such as OSHA Training, OSHA Enforcement, Employer Responsibilities, Small Business, OSHA Advisory Committee, Compliance Assistant, Cooperative Programs, and Coverage, all of which are necessary functions to ensure proper results. One of the prime reasons why OSHA is so successful is the ability to have jurisdiction over businesses and enforce policies and rules, called OSHA Enforcement. What OSHA Enforcement does is it allows the organization (OSHA) to have jurisdictions in private sector employers, 27 State Plan states (covers private and public sector), and assists Federal Agency Programs. For the reason that OSHA was introduced by the Federal Government, it allows

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OSHA to process inspections within businesses. These inspections usually are done by highlytrained compliance officers and can be either on-site or on the phone; all of which can happen without any pre warning from OSHA. These inspections are specifically to look for the following: Imminent danger, catastrophes, worker complaints and referrals, targeted inspection, and follow-up inspections. By conducting these inspections within businesses, especially the fact that they can be without warning, it causes employers to maintain healthy and safe work environments constantly due to fear of being inspected and not meeting OSHA standards. One of the many services that OSHA offers is the OSHA Directorate of Training and Education (OTI) which help improve, administer, supervise, and manage the policies and procedures of OSHA. Within the organization (OSHA), there are a couple different types of training and education programs such as the OSHA Training Institute, OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, OSHA Outreach Training Program, Resource Center Loan Program, and the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program. The OSHA Training Institute aims at Federal and State compliance officers and State consultation program staff. However, OSHA Training and Education also offers training to private sector personnel who are a part of agencies other than OSHA. Primarily, OTI is implemented to be the primary training provider of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The OSHA Training Institute Education Centers provide personnel with the most commonly demanded OSHA Training Institute courses for the private sector and other Federal agencies. The OSHA Outreach Training Program offers excellent training for employers and workers which helps the understanding of negligence performed by an employer. In the OSHA Outreach Training Program, safety and health training programs are provided for employee workers to gain knowledge on how to identify, evade, and prevent

Tyler Monteros

health safety hazards in the work environment. It also gives workers knowledge about what rights they have, their responsibilities as an employee, and the process they take to file a complaint. Another training and education program OSHA offers is the Resource Center Loan Program which is another training video on health for a loan to OSHAs employees. Lastly, the Susan Hardwood Training Grant Program is the last of the training and education programs offered by OSHA. This program offers grants to non-profit organizations to come up with their own educational training programs and be able to distribute this plan to these employers and workers. With all 5 programs being implemented, and each program pertaining to the training and developing of an employees understanding of a healthy and safe work environments, businesses health and safety standards are always meeting standards. The Occupational Safety and Health Acts mission is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, and education; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. OSHA covers an extremely wide array of workers, from construction workers to office workers. OSHA covers private sector employers and employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through Federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved state program. However, in 1970 when the act was first passed it was not heavily enforced and lacked inspectors. Though today OSHA has approximately 2100 inspectors, plus complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support personnel spread over more than 200 offices throughout the country. So unlike in 70s there are enough inspectors and other personnel to help protect employees.

Tyler Monteros

OSHA covers private sector employers and employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through Federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved state program. However, Employees who work for state and local governments are not covered by Federal OSHA, but have OSH Act protections if they work in a state that has an OSHA-approved state program. Federal agencies must have a safety and health program that meet the same standards as private employers. But there are also employees who are not covered by the OSH Act. These are the people who are Self-employed, immediate family members of farm employers that do not employ outside employees, and workplace hazards regulated by another Federal agency (for example, the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard). There are OSHA standards for construction work, agriculture, maritime operations, and general industry, which are the standards that apply to most worksites. OSHA standards are rules that describe the methods that employers must use to protect their employees from hazards. These standards limit the amount of hazardous chemicals workers can be exposed to, require the use of certain safe practices and equipment, and require employers to monitor hazards and keep records of workplace injuries and illnesses. Examples of OSHA standards include requirements to: provide fall protection, prevent trenching cave ins, prevent some infectious diseases, assure that workers safely enter confined spaces, prevent exposure to harmful substances like asbestos, put guards on machines, provide respirators or other safety equipment, and provide training for certain dangerous jobs.

Tyler Monteros

Employers must also comply with the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, which requires employers to keep their workplace free of serious recognized hazards. This clause is generally cited when no OSHA standard applies to the hazard. If employees believe there is a serious hazard or that their employer is not following OSHA standards, workers or their representatives may file a complaint and ask OSHA to inspect their workplace. A worker can tell OSHA not to let their employer know who filed the complaint. It is a violation of the Act for an employer to fire, demote, transfer or discriminate in any way against a worker for filing a complaint or using other OSHA rights. OSHA's Free On-site Consultation Program provides on-site assistance to small employers in protecting their workers from potential occupational hazards. OSHA provides free assistance to over 30,000 small businesses which cover 1.5 million workers in helping them create safe and healthy work environments. OSHA provides multiple programs to help small business expand and make sure they are OSHA safe. There are four advisory committees in which OSHA operates with in. The ACCSH (Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health) is a continuing advisory body established by statute that provides advice and assistance in construction standards and policy matters to the Assistant Secretary. There are 15 members of this advisory body. The ACCSH meetings are open to the Public. The 12-member NACOSH (National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health) has two members representing management, two members representing labor, two members representing the occupational health professions, two members representing the occupational safety professions and four members representing the

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public. Two of the health representatives and two of the public members are designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The members serve two-year terms. The FACOSH (Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health) is a source for federal agency safety and health programs and policies. The work of the Advisory Council uses the expertise of its members. This is an extremely cost-effective use of government-wide in-house talent to plan, develop, and organize new federal safety and health programs and initiatives. The MACOSH (Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health) is a discretionary committee established on February 8, 1995. MACOSH is comprised of 15 representative members appointed by the Secretary, that is diverse and balanced, both in terms of segments of the maritime industry represented and in the views or interests represented by its 15 members (management, labor, safety and health professional organizations, government organizations and the public), one of whom the Secretary appoints to serve as committee chair. Each OSHA Area Office in states under federal jurisdiction has a Compliance Assistance Specialist. These staffers respond to requests for help from a variety of groups, including small businesses. CASs put on seminars and workshops for small businesses and other groups. OSHA offers cooperative programs under which businesses, labor groups, and other organizations can work cooperatively with the Agency to help prevent deaths, injuries, and illnesses in the workplace. Before OSHA had ever been established, there were extreme problems in work related fatalities, illnesses, and injuries; there were kids under the age of 16 that were working in sweat factories and warehouses in extremely poor and hazardous conditions and people were dying.

Tyler Monteros

There were no standards that were placed in work environments that stated conditions had to be a certain specification. However, since the start of OSHA, workers are now able to have the right to work in a clean, hazard free environment and not have to worry about negligence in the work place being implemented by their employers anymore. Conclusion. OSHA has established a standard for our nations employers and businesses that have completely change the way Americans operate their business. Workers now can look forward to working in a clean, healthy, and safe work environment because of OSHAs standard put in place.