The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has been around for what seems like forever, protecting workers’ rights to a safe and accident-free workplace.

When COVID-19 made its appearance last year, no other organization was looked to for guidance and direction more than the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA). During the pandemic, OSHA still managed to conduct 21,674 workplace inspections[1] which resulted in levying $4,034,288[2] in penalties against companies just for COVID-related violations.

Even as we start to get a better handle on the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s clear that our lives, including the modern workplace, will never be the same. We may never be able to totally rid ourselves of the virus, and so we must remain vigilant against the potential spread of the disease. Fortunately, OSHA publication 3990 has outlined what employers need to do to keep employees protected from COVID-19. While company leaders should read through the entire document, here are the key takeaways from OSHA publication 3990.

Under federal OSHA laws, workers have certain rights and protections. One of the most basic is the right to a safe workplace, and the right to speak up about hazards without fear of retaliation.

These days, there are so many OSHA workplace safety standards and policies that it’s easy to overlook the latest compliance requirements. Following these standards is best to ensure the health and safety of your employees, as well as what’s best for your bottom line. Here are some best practices that will allow you to do that.

In the first part of this three-part series on confined spaces we introduced you to some of the grim statistics for confined spaces, talked about the numerous standards and provided two tools to help make understanding the standards a bit easier.

More than a million workers participated in OSHA’s 10-hour training in each of the last two years, with most completing the construction industry training. This and similar programs are available to workers who want to learn more about basic health and safety topics as part of OSHA’s formal outreach efforts. While there’s a 30-hour program that covers more in-depth knowledge, the shorter program is intended to cover introductory concepts.

Many of our posts deal directly or indirectly with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the U.S. agency within the Department of Labor which is responsible for occupational health and safety. But for companies that operate broadly in North America, OSHA may not be your only concern, and OSHA resources may not apply to every employee.

The rights afforded to employees under OSHA regulations are actually quite extensive, and many standards outline additional sets of rights implicitly or explicitly.

Have you noticed that your workplace has safety issues? Have you noticed that these issues are not being resolved?