OSHA gov
OSHA gov (or OSHA’s) mission is to prevent work-related illnesses, injuries and deaths. Occupational deaths have been cut by 62% and injuries have declined by 42% since the agency was created in 1971. Congress created OSHA under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and was signed by President Richard M. Nixon on December 29, 1970.
Only four years ago, there were 4.2 million occupational injuries and illnesses among U.S. employees. Roughly 4.6 of every 100 employees experienced a job-related injury or illness, and only three years ago, 5,703 employees lost their lives on the job. The agency has a staff of over 2,150, including over 1,100 inspectors. OSHA inspected 38,579 workplaces during Fiscal Year 2006. OSHA’s budget for Fiscal Year 2007 is $486.9 million. The agency plans to conduct 37,700 inspections as of two years ago. There are 26 states running their own OSHA programs and they conducted an additional 58,058 inspections in FY 2006.
The top priority is reports of imminent dangers-accidents about to happen; second priority is fatalities or accidents serious enough to send three or more employees to the hospital. The third priority is employee complaints. Referrals from other government agencies are fourth priority. Fifth priority is targeted inspections-such as the Site Specific Targeting Program, which focuses on special emphasis programs that zero in on hazardous work activities such as trenching or equipment such as mechanical power presses and employers that report high injury and illness rates. Follow-up inspections are the final priority.
OSHA penalties range from $0 to over $70,000, depending upon how likely the violation is to result in serious harm to employees. Less serious violations often carry no penalties but could result in penalties of up to $7,000. Serious violations typically have penalties up to $7,000. Repeat and willful violations can have penalties as high as $70,000. Penalties may be discounted if an employer has demonstrated good faith, has a small number of employees, or has few or no previous violations.
Employers have the right to contest or appeal OSHA citations and/or penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. In such cases, employers must file notices of contest within 15 working days of being issued any citations. OSHA maintains an inspection database on its Web site that you can use to search for companies by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code or by name .
Employers with 11 or more employees, which is about 20 percent of the establishments OSHA covers or about 1.5 million employers, -must keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses. Workplaces in low-hazard certain industries such as retail, service, finance, real estate and insurance are exempt from recordkeeping requirements. All employers must publicly display the federal or a state OSHA poster to provide their employees with information on their safety and health rights. Employers may order a printed copy from the OSHA Publications Office at (800) 321-OSHA.