Figure 9.2
Employees have various rights in the workplace and companies have various responsibilities
toward them. (Credit: Raw Pixel/ pexels/ License: CC0)
Health and Safety
Workers have the right to be safe at work, and companies have responsibilities to employees in the event that
they are harmed while undertaking work on behalf of the employer. The Occupational Safety and Health
Act, passed in 1970, is the main legislative action that governs health and safety in the workplace. The Act
established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is a federal agency whose
role is to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing
standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” Private employers and federal
government agencies are all covered under OSHA protection, although the self-employed and workers at state
and local governments in most states are not covered. OSHA has adopted thousands of regulations to enforce
the Occupational Safety and Health Act. It imposes a number of record-keeping and reporting requirements
on private employers. In addition, employers are required to inform employees of their health and safety
rights by posting appropriate notices in the workplace.
Type of
OSHA
Standard
Description
Example
Specific
Duty
Standards
Standards that apply to specific types of work,
procedures, work conditions, and equipment
Safe handling of compressed gas
cylinders
Table 9.1
98
Chapter 9 Employment and Labor Law
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