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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created “to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. Below are a few questions that have been answered regarding OSHA: An employee who works in the second shift cleaning the school building would want to know the requirements for lighting a public school. Some of the hallways this employee cleans are almost dark, but the school authorities want all the hallway lights turned off after school and want only the security lights to be on.
As per OSHA sufficient lighting is important. The regulation states, “All means of access and walkways leading to working areas as well as the working areas themselves shall be adequately illuminated.” This is regulation # 29 CFR 1915.92(a) and may be viewed in the link below: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10244 A person fell down at a store as the curbs in the outdoor area were not highlighted with yellow paint. Is it required that the curbs be painted in yellow to avoid accidents, as per OSHA.
As per OSHA, the preferred colour is OSHA RED. However, state and local laws and statutes decide the colour of the curbs. The state traffic and the parking authorities control the colour of the curbs. The employees of an oil and gas industry are required to undergo OSHA safety classes. The employer would be paying for the classes, but it would need to be taken after the company login hours. Further, the employee has stated that if the classes are not completed within a set deadline, employment would be terminated. Is it legal for the employer to enforce this?
An employer would be required to give employees the time to complete the classes within the company login hours if the training is a company requirement. However, if the training is an industry requirement, without which one may not be able to be employed in the industry; then the employer is not required to pay the employee for taking up the classes. In the scenario mentioned above, the training seems to be an OSHA requirement and an employer may terminate an employee if the training is not undergone. In the absence of an employment contract or a company policy, the employer may fire an employee without any notice though the training is not an OSHA requirement. If anything happened to an unpaid volunteer in a company located in the state of California; can OSHA levy a fine?
OSHA rules have been made to protect everyone who is working in a workplace. It does not matter if the individuals are volunteers or paid employees. The laws were made with safety as the foremost priority and employees working in a dangerous work environment may file a suit against the organization. One may approach an employment lawyer with any specific concerns or issues. An employee reported quite a few rule violations of the company to OSHA. In light of the complaint that was filed, OSHA may close down the company. The employer is angry with the employee and feels that the closure of business would be the employee’s fault. The co-employees have stopped talking and are treating this employee unfairly. In addition, the employee may lose the job as soon as a replacement is found and would probably have to move states to find an alternate employment. What options does this employee have as the workplace has become unpleasant to work?
To know one’s rights as a whistleblower, one may visit http://www.osha.gov/dep/oia/whistleblower/index.html. There is protection offered to employees for reporting or for providing information. It is possible for one to file a formal complaint against an employer through the telephone or online. If not anything, one may be able to claim constructive termination with the help of OSHA. A safe working environment would help bring a sense of security amongst the employees and in turn boost production. Therefore, it is important the both the employers and the employees understand the laws and the functioning of OSHA. One way to arm yourself with legal information is to ask an employment lawyer.
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