Module 1: Introuction to Osha and the OSH Act Lesson 1

Explain why Osha is important to workers:

"to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources

Examples of Workers who are covered by OSHA:

- Adrian Smith, one of 3 employees of ABC Landscaping - Rob Jones, one of 10 carpenters working for Woody, Inc.

Examples of Workers who are not covered by OSHA:

- Harry Adams, a miner at Below Ground Inc. - Taylor Dell, an accountant in business for herself

Why is this Training Important?

- If there are hazards in your workplace, you will know your rights and where to get help. - Training saves lives - Training reduces direct and indirect occupational costs.

Which groups do not come under OSHA's Coverage:

- The Self-Employed - Immediate members of farming families not employing outside workers - Mine workers, certain truckers and transportation workers, and atomic energy workers who are covered by other federal agencies - Public employees in state and local governments, although some states have their own plans that cover these workers

The size of osha becomes graphically apparent when a simple calculation shows that is the 8 million workplaces were distributed evenly among Osha federal and state inspectors, each inspector would be responsible for how many sites

3,333

History of Osha:

OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA's responsibility is worker safety and health protection. The U.S. Congress created OSHA under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act). Congress passed the law and established OSHA "to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources."

Discuss employer responsibilities under OSHA:

With the creation of OSHA, for the first time, all employers in the United States had the legal responsibility to provide a safe and healthful workplace for employees. And, there were now uniform regulations that applied to all workplaces

Why was OSHA necessary?

Workplace injuries, Illnesses, and deaths were increasing, an no uniform or comprehensive law existed to protect workers against workplace hazards.

State Plans:

are OSHA-approved job safety and health programs operated by individual states instead of federal OSHA. The OSH Act encourages states to develop and operate their own job safety and health plans and precludes state enforcement of OSHA standards, unless the state has an approved plan. OSHA approves and monitors all state plans. The state plans must be at least as effective as federal OSHA requirements. State plans covering the private sector also must cover state and local government employees. OSHA rules also permit states and territories to develop plans that cover only public sector (state and local government) employees. In these cases, private sector employment remains under federal OSHA jurisdiction. Twenty-two states and territories operate complete plans and four cover only the public sector.

How has Osha Helped employers?

has helped employers and employees reduce injuries, illnesses, and deaths on the job in America. Since then, workplace fatalities have been cut by more than 60 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined 40 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has more than doubled and now includes over 115 million workers at 7.2 million worksites.

OSHA's Mission:

•Developing job safety and health standards and enforcing them through worksite inspections •Maintaining a reporting and recordkeeping system to keep track of job-related injuries and illnesses •Providing training programs to increase knowledge about occupational safety and health