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If you are a steel worker in any capacity, from doing reinforcing to laying iron, building structures, or more, then you have an enviable job, one that involves physical activity, mental sharpness, and good pay. You should be provided with benefit packages, including insurance, and should be provided with adequate time off as well, including weekends and holidays. However, it is important to note that although your job is important to businesses, homes, the economy, municipal growth, and more, and it is financially rewarding and involves long-term commitment, it can also be dangerous. Every job, even an office job, involves some level of risk. After all, anywhere that anything can burn or that electronic devices of any kind are present, there is a possibility for disaster or injury. But as a steel worker, you are involved in highly risky business, and if the proper precautions are not taken, you can be seriously injured or even killed. This is where OSHA comes in. Combined with membership in the Roseville Steel Workers Association, or the association local to you, OSHA can protect you as an employee from unnecessary exposure to danger. But what is OSHA? When you underwent training for your current job, you may have heard of this term. What Is OSHA? OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This administrations follows and enforces the degrees established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, also called the OSH Act, a law that was passed nationwide to prevent dangerous accidents of any kind from killing or injuring workers, to any degree. Under this law, employers in nearly every field must provide safe working conditions and do anything possible to prevent workplace injury. What Does OSHA Do? OSHA, as a federal administrative body that is a subcommittee of the United States Department of Labor, sets the health and safety standards that must be followed nationwide. Some states, including California, also have a state agency that reviews activity and conditions at workplaces statewide. They enforce these laws by overseeing the workplace environments around the country, reviewing complaints from employees, and by training and assisting employers and their employees through offering seminars, educational materials, and guidelines that can be taught and posted in a workplace to ensure that the guidelines are being met. Employees can also be trained to understand what OSHA is and what specific precautions should be made at their workplace based on the work they perform. Because OSHA closely monitors nearly every workplace environment, many employers now offer information to their employees so that they can be aware of the OSHA standards that need to be followed in their specific workplace. Instructions can then be given to employees, such as wearing hard hats and protective gloves. Requiring you as an employee to follow safety standards is your employer's way of ensuring that they are on top of OSHA laws and not violating them in any way. How Does OSHA Protect Employees? As an employee, you have the right to safely go to work each day without fearing injury or death. To ensure that these standards are maintained, OSHA does the following to protect employees everywhere: • Employees can contact OSHA to request that they send an agent to inspect their workplace for compliance with OSHA standards. • Employees can decline to perform work or job duties that involve excess risk. • You can request information from your employer or from OSHA that outlines the law as it applies to your specific industry. This is especially helpful as a steel worker, as there are many more potential risks involved in your field than in most business or retail jobs, for example. • You can file a complaint if you feel that your employer is not ensuring that you are working in a safe environment. You can do so without fearing retaliation from your employer. This means that you cannot be fired or reprimanded for filing a complaint. • You can also file complaints without fearing for discrimination. OSHA takes all complaints seriously, no matter the gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or income of the employee. To better ensure that OSHA laws are being followed in your workplace, and to seek efficient help, consider joining the Roseville Steel Workers Association or an association in your area.
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