Employer Responsibilities under OSHA
OSHA exists to protect employees, not employers. When a serious workplace accident occurs, OSHA investigates to determine whether the employer has fulfilled their obligations under the law. The ultimate goal is to ensure employee safety and health.
Employers must meet the following obligations:
- Maintain a safe workplace free from recognized hazards and comply with OSHA standards.
- Provide required training in accordance with OSHA regulations.
- Keep accurate records of workplace injuries and illnesses.
- Establish a reporting system for workplace incidents.
- Provide access to logs and records upon employee request.
- Post the annual summary of workplace injuries and illnesses.
- Report fatalities within 8 hours and report hospitalizations, amputations, or loss of an eye within 24 hours.
- Offer required medical exams and provide employees access to their exposure and medical records.
- Protect employees from retaliation when they exercise their rights under the OSH Act (Section 11(c)).
- Post OSHA citations and notices of hazard corrections.
- Provide and pay for most personal protective equipment (PPE).
Each of these responsibilities will be discussed in detail in the following sections. For additional guidance on management responsibilities, consider OSHAcademy courses such as:
- 700: Introduction to Safety Management
- 712: Safety Supervision and Leadership
- 800: Introduction to Construction Safety Management
- 900: Oil and Gas Safety Management