Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CHAPTER 1 and 2
CHAPTER 1 and 2
Jerome R. Villanueva
BSME 5
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
• The field of occupational safety and health is concerned with
minimizing loss by aiding in the prevention and protection of both
human and other physical assets in the workplace.
• It primarily involves monitoring the workplace and advising
employers or management on the best way to prevent and minimize
losses.
• Final responsibility for action always rest on the shoulders of
management as they are ultimately accountable for workplace
behavior.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
MANAGEMENT:
− Stockholders or owners of the company
− Occupational safety and health administration (OSHA)
− The courts
− Public opinion
• Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHAct); employers in
United States are required to provide safe and healthy workplaces.
IMPORTANCE OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
• This act was passed by Congress “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”
• Under this act Occupational and Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) was created within the Department of Labor to:
Encourage employers and employees to reduce workplace hazards and
implement new or improve existing safety and health programs
Provide for research in occupational safety and health to develop innovative
ways of dealing with occupational safety and health problems
Establish to separate but dependent responsibilities and rights for employers
and employees for the achievement of better safety and health conditions
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT (Cont….)
INSPECTIONS
• Imminent danger situations: are inspected first. Where there
is reasonable certainly that an employee is exposed to a hazard
likely to cause death or immediate serious physical harm.
• Severe injuries and illness: second priority. Employers must
report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all work-
related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, or losses of an
eye within 24 hours.
• Worker complaints: alleging hazards or violations of standards
receive the next priority. The employee has the right to remain
anonymous to his employer.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT (Cont….)
INSPECTIONS
• Referrals of hazards from the other federal, state or local
agencies, individuals, organizations or the media receive the
next consideration for inspection.
• Targeted inspections aimed at specific high-hazard industries or
individual work places that have experienced high rates of
injuries and illness also receive priority.
• Follow-up inspections are given last priority. These are used to
determine if previously cited violations have been corrected.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT (Cont….)
INSPECTION PROCESS
• Opening conference, where credentials are presented by the
compliance officer why the inspection is being performed and described
the scope of the inspection, walkaround procedures, employee
representation and employee interviews.
• Walkaround, where the employer’s representative should accompany
the officer and keep careful record of everything inspected. An
authorized representative of the employees als has the right to go along.
• Closing conference, occurs near the end of the visit. During this time,
the employer or an employer’s representative should ask questions in
order to clearly understand any violations recorded by the compliance
officer. No penalties will be assigned at this time.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT (Cont….)
APPEALS PROCESS
• Within 15 working days of the receipt of the citation, an
employer may submit a written objection to OSHA. Once
an inspection takes place, those assigned to receive the
citation in the mail for company need to watch for and turn
over any correspondence from OSHA.
• Companies ignoring the 15-day deadline, or for some other
reason failing to meet it, have also missed their right to
appeal.
• Within the 15-day period the employer may contest a
citation, a penalty, and/or abatement date.
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT (Cont….)