Unsafe working conditions put you and other workers in danger. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protects people like yourself, giving you the ability to refuse to work when your environment can’t be made safe. OSHA requires that the workplace is free of dangerous health and safety conditions, and those conditions that can’t be eliminated have to be monitored and as safe as possible.
The intent of the OSHA is to provide workers with the safety they need. The federal safety agency’s goals include preventing workplace illnesses and unsafe workplace conditions, recognizing hazards that could lead to serious injury or death and eliminating one-time injuries.
Employers are required to provide a workplace that eliminates hazards that could cause death or serious injuries. An OSHA safety notice must be mounted in the workplace where workers can access it. Records of safety training and maintaining safety skills through regular training is required. Records of injuries, exposure to hazards and deaths in the workplace must be kept.
When a hazard poses a risk to your safety, you can report that hazard to OSHA. You can refuse to work if you believe there is an immediate risk, if the employer refuses to fix the problem, if there is no alternative work option or if there is no time to immediately report the danger to OSHA.
Our website has more information on OSHA and what it can do for you if your work environment is dangerous. You may have other alternatives and be able to seek workers’ compensation if you’ve been hurt due to a dangerous workplace.
