OSHA Posters Come In Handy When Safety Beckons

Accidents happen. It is a painful truth because the effect is costly. It can damage properties and, worse, cause the loss of lives. When an accident does happen, it is most likely that somewhere along the way, there were some safety measures overlooked either consciously or unconsciously by concerned individuals.

Sad to note that human error is a major cause of safety issues as well as lack of information on safety and accident prevention in the workplace. This is how OSHA posters come in handy. Empowering the work force with the information they need is vital in keeping everyone safe at work while meeting productivity goals.

What is the OSHA?

The Occupational and Safety Health Organizations or famously known OSHA was formed mainly because of this purpose: to assure safety and healthy working conditions of each individual worker. As the worker comes to the job healthy and able, it also makes sense that he must go home in the same status of health. Healthy and protected workers are the backbone of a strong industry.

Without a safe working environment, productivity is just an illusion. This must always be kept in mind by any organization who aims to meet productivity goals a hundred percent.

 OSHA, in adherence to the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970, is very determined about ensuring a dynamic industry. And how is this possible? As previously stated, it is only through a safe and healthy working environment.

The OSHA Act of 1970 requires each company or organization to make sure that each worker undergo safety training and know by heart its safety program. However, no matter how trained these workers are, there is still a possibility that negligence might arise. Reminders are therefore necessary.

How Can OSHA Posters Help?

 One means of preventing negligence is through OSHA posters. These posters must be created in such a way that it is attention catching, printed in loud colours with bold prints and placed where people can see them. To some, OSHA posters can look and sound simple, but no one can underestimate its preventive appeal to workers whose lives may be saved if they adhere to these posters.

 Can you be blind to OSHA posters?  Can you risk your life?  Below are typical samples of posters:

•   CAUTION: This machine must be locked out before doing maintenance.

•   DANGER: Hard hat area.

•   Electrical Safety:  If it doesn’t look safe, it probably isn’t.

•   Watch out! Wet floor.

•   Touch not! Hot surface.

•   Use your muscles, not your back.

•   Caution: Watch your step.

OSHA posters cater to all the different aspects of a worker’s well-being. These can be reminders on how to do things properly or how to handle the equipment effectively and safely. It can be a reminder on proper posture.

But of course, when workers ignore the OSHA posters, it is totally a different story. OSHA posters are meant to warn and if warning is ignored, that is already a deliberate act of allowing accidents to happen. Nevertheless, it is still better to be safe than sorry.

Things You Need To Know About Occupational Safety

Truly, there are so many employees who are injured and die each year from occupational accidents. On the other hand, if these occupational hazards are identified early, the management can do something by creating a committee responsible for implementing safety management plans in the workplace. Here is a list of the most occupational safety measures that can be applied in the work area to keep both employers and employees safe at all times.

Educate Workers About Workplace Accidents And Occupational Safety

It is easier for employees to be cautious at work when they know what to be careful of.  Managers should teach workers about how to recognize common occupational hazards and how they can report them so that further injuries can be prevented and solution will be provided. Employers can also place OSHA posters in prominent areas at work. These posters are very useful in providing fact sheet information like avoiding common accidents at work. By making these posters visible, you are following the law and ensuring its timely reinforcement. It also means that you care for your working because you are providing them the information they ought to know.

Place Safety Equipment At Work

Safety equipment and first aid kits are life savers. A good rule is to have one first aid kit for 30 employees. This kit should be well-maintained and updated regularly. Safety equipment gears on the other hand, vary from one work place from another. Mines use different safety equipment from other work areas like a conventional office.  The safety equipment at work always depends on the nature of your job. There are some areas called hard hat area thus requiring safety helmet while working. It is important to follow company safety rules for employees’ protection.

Hire Health And Safety Experts

Employers should consider hiring health and safety specialists and occupational nurses to ensure that every workers are safe. They can easily assess the work environment and review protocols used at work. Moreover, these specialists can help employers identify the safety issues and implement procedures to prevent accidents at work. Company should hire them for their employees’ welfare.

During her Workers Memorial Day speech on April 26, 2012, Hilda Solis, the Secretary of Labor said that "Every day in America, 13 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, nearly 4 million people suffer a workplace injury from which some may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy. American workers are not looking for a handout or a free lunch. They are looking for a good day's pay for a hard day's work. They just want to go to work, provide for their families, and get home in one piece."  It is a fact that workers are injured and die each day at places of work. Each year, there are lots of cases being filed due to work accidents. Employers should do something in order to reduce the number of work-related accidents and promote safety of their employees.

Labor Law poster and Related Information

There are multiple methods which can be employed to protect the rights of the workers. One of the most effective methods is the intervention of the government via regulations. In the United States one of the most significant and useful regulations, which has been set in place, is the labor law poster. This poster outlines all the rights and benefits which the employees are entitled to, so that they are not exploited by their employer. Moreover, the poster is displayed in areas of the workplace that are easily accessible so that the information they display is equally accessible to employees.

Labor law poster and labor law poster updates often focus on some main and important topics. One of them is the regulation related to the harassment and discrimination banning, which is of great significance in the workplace. Secondly, there is also information related to the insurance for workers’ safety and health. The standard for safety and health protection is known as a vital part in every labor law poster and the serious concern in every labor law poster updates, because it has a close relationship with the lives of people. The last but not least important is information about the wage. This part will show the employees the minimum wage, the levels of wage for different kinds of workers in a company and also the percentage of extra money in some special occasion or for extended working time.

Language of the labor law posters is also important. If a company displays the law poster in English only, it is recommended that they should have a labor law poster printed in other languages if they have employees whose native language is not English. The truth is that in the company, there may be people from different countries so that the law should be translated in other languages and all the employees can get their right and benefits from the posters.

After displaying labor law posters, the employer should also take care of the changes of the law from the government. Employers have to get the updated labor law poster to stay in compliance. It is recommended that the changes should be applied after a 3 or 6 month in some cases when the government makes some vital changes. Those updates are important because they will maintain the right of the workers and they will be satisfied, at the same time, the operation of the business can be processed normally without any obstacles. If there are any misunderstandings about the law poster, the employers can also ask for help from the labor law poster services.

The Benefits of Staying in Compliance With OSHA Poster Requirements

One of the most important things that business owners need to always consider is posting federal labor law posters. The department of labor has assigned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA the task to require businesses and or companies to post federal labor law posters. The reason being is so that employees may be aware of their benefits and rights. At the same time, this will protect the employees from abusive employers and will keep employees from being harassed by their employees. These days, there are times that even the United States federal labor laws are not enough to discourage some employers from taking advantage of their employees in an unlawful manner. That is why the United States federal government has deemed it necessary to have these companies post these labor law posters throughout the work premises so that every employee will have access to it and learn from it. This in turn should encourage employees to uphold their rights and stand up against any maltreatment done towards them in work.  Non-compliance to such requirements can get the business in trouble and even fined for a huge amount of money. Because of this, it is important that a business is able to comply with this by being able to post all necessary federal labor law posters within the building.

And this is where New York labor law poster beats the other labor law posters in other states. New York labor law posters are perhaps the best when it comes to fulfilling federal requirements. What makes them particularly reliable is the fact that these labor laws contain information regarding discrimination laws, information regarding how much is an employee’s minimum wage meaning how much he should be paid at the minimum, laws with regard to child labor, like at what age is a child should be legal to work and at what age is it already considered child labor. New York labor law posters also include the provisions of time for workers during the time of election. Disability acts and smoking acts are but a few more which are also part of the labor law poster.

The good thing in having these OSHA posters is that business owners having these posters in their office gives a very good impression toward their business partners, employees and even applicants. It shows people that the company is an entity which sincerely cares about the welfare of their employees as well as their safety which is shown through safety labor law posters. If you are an employer, you will not experience any form of anxiety when you are utilizing these posters because they are always updated and this means that you can always feel at ease and confident facing government officials who are visiting your office and conducting an inspection for labor law compliance. What is more is that employers can easily download this from the New York state official website.  Utilizing New York Labor law posters inside the office premises can be helpful and encouraging to both employer and employees for a healthy work environment.