Essay Sample on Significance of OSHA

Introduction

OSHA is the primary law that covers workplace safety. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was designed to reduce workplace hazard making it necessary for organza to implement workplace safety and health programs for the employees and employers. It is the duty of the HR manager to enact policies and procedures to protect the workers. Osha makes it illegal for employers not to implement employee's safety policies. If a company fail to comply with the OSHA requirements, then the company will be liable and penalized through citation and penalties. The OSHA regulations are therefore the best way to ensure that the worker is safe from potential disasters (Ryer, 1975). The right to know laws can help the employees know the chemical that they are exposed to in the workplaces for them to make the right decisions whether to take the job or leave.

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No company is willing to pay penalties or have a citation record as this would affect the company's ability to bid for jobs and other forms of government contracts. HR can help the company avoid penalties by liaising with OSHA to find out the safety standards that apply to the company's business (Bennett, 1991). Lack of compliance with the OSHA standard can lead to legal charges for the company if the inspections cite noncompliance. Secondly, in case of employees are hurt in the workplace because of negligence's, the company would incur costs in treating the injured employees and compensating them for the lost income. Lack of compliances would lead to injury which would significantly damage the company's reputation and goodwill (Bennett, 1991). Disregarding OSHA standards would lead to workplace fatalities. occupational injuries and illnesses would also increase. Other benefits include improving productivity and high employee morale due to the absence of in workplace injuries and illnesses Therefore the company would not only be saving its workers but will also save money from reduced medical and legal expenses.

The human resources must actively be involved in ensuring that the human resources are properly by implementing policies and procedures that would help the commonly comply. Human resource managers should protect the company's main asset- the workers. The human resources must, therefore, review the safety policy to ensure that relevant and if possible, train the employees on how to maintain safety. The human resources manager is charged with posting safety regulations and notices in open and accessible areas. Human resources must also update the policies whenever changes are made in the workplace including equipment, tools and working conditions.

References

Bennett, G. (1991). How to comply with the OSHA hazard communication standard: A complete guide in compliance with OSHA right-to-know regulations. Journal Of Hazardous Materials, 26(1), 99-100. Doi: 10.1016/0304-3894(91)85019-j

Ryer, F. (1975). The New Health and Safety Act as It Relates to Occupational Radiation Exposure. Health Physics, 29(1), 207-212. Doi: 10.1097/00004032-197507000-00024