OSHA

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a large number of regulations that pertain specifically to the construction industry. OSHA was created in 1970 as an agency of the Department of Labor and it was enacted by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was designed to reduce workplace injuries and to put into effect safety programs for all employees. It states:

• Employers should make all regulations, rules and standards available for their employees
• Employees can remain anonymous and be safe from any action by their employer when they file a complaint against their employer with OSHA
• An OSHA representative will carry out inspections to determine if dangerous conditions exist

OSHA inspectors are permitted to enter any workplace covered by the Act in order to inspect the premises and investigate any safety concerns. Additionally, employers are required to report all fatal work-related accidents to OSHA within 8 hours, and any accidents that result in 3 or more injuries that require hospitalization.

Safety Training Programs

Because most companies that employ construction workers have less than 20 employees, many of them do not have any kind of safety training program in place. A safety training program can help reduce the number of workplace accidents which can protect construction companies from personal injury litigation from injured employees. It can also:

• help to ensure your company is OSHA compliant
• help to ensure your company follows all the regulations of other federal and state agencies
• reduce your Workman’s Compensation costs
• reduce the costs of insurance and lost work due to employee injuries

Seven states now have laws that require construction workers to take the OSHA 10 hour construction safety training course before they can work on some projects, such as publicly funded construction sites or public schools. The 10 hour training course was developed to be a voluntary course to teach workers about the risks of construction work and it’s available from independently trained professionals, OSHA experts, and even can be taken on the internet.

This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Please contact an attorney in your local area for more information about construction law.

Additional Legal Site: The Snyder Law Group. Serving clients in Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota, Florida.