What Is the Meaning of OSHA?
OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, "an agency of the U.S. government under the Department of Labor with the responsibility of ensuring safety at work and a healthful work environment,” according to MedicineNet.com. This answers the question in its simplest form. However, mention the acronym OSHA on a work site and the reaction of the workers and supervisors alike will tell you that there is a deeper meaning.
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Brief History of OSHA
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The Occupational Health and Safety Act was signed into law by President Nixon in 1971. It gave the secretary of labor jurisdiction over workers’ health and safety at the federal level. A deputy secretary heads OSHA and reports to the secretary of labor. When the regulations for OSHA, Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, were formulated, OSHA did not have much enforcement power. However, over the years and through successive legislation and presidential backing, OSHA has become a force in bringing down the rate of worker deaths, illnesses and injuries on the job.
Factors for the OSH Act
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In 1970 the work force was over 90 million people and there were over 14,000 worker deaths due to on-the-job accidents. That same year, accidents on the job accounted for close to 2 ½ million disabled workers, according to the Department of Labor. On-the-job injuries accounted for 10 times more lost time than time lost from worker strikes and there were an estimated 300,000 new cases of workplace-related diseases annually.
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OSHA Officers
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OSHA officers are afforded the same rights and protections as other federal officers. An OSHA officer, usually referred to as a compliance officer, has a duty to investigate workplace conditions that may threaten the health and safety of workers. Serving as a federal officer, an OSHA officer usually has an administrative warrant that grants him access to your company, including work sites, employees and records. Without a warrant, OSHA officers have a duty to investigate any act or condition that they spot from public access that involves immediate danger to life and health of workers or bystanders.
Penalties
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As of 1990, penalties were increased for violations and these amounts remained in effect as of early 2010. An "other than serious" and "serious violation" is punishable in a fine up to $7,000. Repeated and willful violations are punishable with fines up to $70,000. Fines are generally assessed to the company being investigated. A willful violation that involves an employee death can bring up to a $250,000 fine for an individual or a $500,000 fine for a corporation if convicted. Fines are adjusted up or down according to good faith efforts, business size, and abatement of violations.
OSHA Inspections
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OSHA inspections are rarely announced. The compliance officer (CO) will present himself along with his credentials. He will ask for a representative of the company for an opening conference where the CO will tell the representative why he is there. After the opening conference, the CO may ask to walk around the job site to look for anything that may threaten the health and safety of workers. He may interview workers to get a better feel for the company. After the inspection there will be a closing conference. The CO may discuss with the representative what his conclusions are or he may wait to disclose them in the official report that will be sent after the CO returns to his office.
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