Essay on Occupational Safety and Health Administration: How to Avoid Penalties

If the employees are injured on the job, the company is likely to incur a hefty cost from the absenteeism of the workers and the lowered productivity. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is also likely to fine the company if they have not complied with the set standards for ensuring the safety of the employees is minimized. After an officer from OSHA has visited my organization and finds out that my organization has not complied with the set standards, there are some activities which I can carry out to avoid fine worth thousands of dollars (Schmidt, 2014). To prevent fines from OSHA, one should always comply with federal safety rules by enforcing correct behavior and providing the employees with the equipment required to improve safety. The following are the tips that can assist me to avoid a fine from OSHA when their officer returns to my company.

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Improving record keeping

Good documentation act as the first defense against any accusation by OSHA. The inspector should not find any missing information or gaps in the OSHA 300 log. If the inspector could find gaps in such records, he will initiate full-scale safety audit of the corporation, and this might lead to a hefty fine if there so many missing information. The files of the workers and the workers compensation loss records should be well filled since it can provide a lot of information about the gaps that an officer may find. If there is much information about how well we compensate our employees after being involved in an accident, the officer might not give the company penalty.

Fixing the routine violation

Some simple issues which cost little or nothing to correct should be fixed as soon as the officer leaves the premises. Some of the matters that can be fixed quickly include making sure the exits are clear, providing protective equipment such as safety goggles and gloves and ensuring materials such as flammable liquid are stored safely. Monitoring such issues is essentials in an attempt to avoid paying a substantial amount of penalties that the OSHA would have claimed to be paid by my company (OSHA, 2011).

Educate the workers some common violations

It is my duty as a manager to train my employees how to identify workplace hazards and enforce safety regulations that may be lacking in the premises. The workers should be made aware of the common violations of the policies that might be taking place in the company to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Discipline workers where necessary

If the workers are unable to follow OSHA regulations and maintain professional conduct in the workplace, they should be disciplined to ensure they do not repeat the same mistake. The company needs to come up disciplinary action policy to guide the business on how to discipline the employees when they do not follow the safety measures as stipulated by OSHA. This will ensure that all workers have the policies at their fingertips and adhere to them accordingly. The policy disciplinary action plan should clearly state the policies for the employees to understand them and the consequences that will follow if the worker does not adhere to them. To avoid such incidences happening again, managers should step forward and evaluate the situation and come up with the best solution (Schmidt, 2014).

Review requirements for PPE

One of the key reasons why OSHA targets workers is due to lack of adequate personal protective equipment. To avoid their penalties, I have to review the available PPE, and in case they are not enough I have to purchase the required one. The company has to ensure that it provides its workforce with PPE, such as gloves, footwear, and facemask designed to lessen the risk of injury and safeguard them from exposure to hazardous substances or chemicals. I should set a regular time when the supervisor should review the PPE to replace the worn out and provide others that might be required to execute their jobs safely and more efficiently.

Recording and addressing violations of policies in the workplace

Accurate recordkeeping is essential to ensure that employers are aware of injuries, fatalities, and illnesses that have happened in the workplace. By use of the recordkeeping, we shall be able to address the safety issues that might contribute to higher illness and injury rates. With good recording, OSHA will be able to analyze the procedures we follow when addressing accidents and injuries in the company (Schmidt, 2014).

Have a plan for disasters

Any company needs to have emergency procedures in case of sudden disasters such as storms or flu pandemics. The company has to be aware that even unexpected accident might happen to the workers hence having a plan of dealing with them is very crucial. Some of the plans that the company has to implement include:

Training the workforces on what they should do in case of a disaster that requires emergency intervention.

The work should be provided with procedures they should follow to evacuate safely from the building.

The company will stock all the emergency supplies like first-aid kits (OSHA, 2011).

The company will ensure good communication with families, employees, customers, and suppliers on how a situation of urgency should be addressed in the organization.

References

OSHA. (2011). Five Ways to Avoid Penalties. Retrieved from http://www.csregs.com/wp-content/uploads/Five-Steps-to-Avoid-OSHA-Penalties.pdf

Schmidt, K. (2014). Tips to Avoid OSHA Penalties in Your Facility. Retrieved from https://solutions.borderstates.com/6-tips-to-avoid-osha-penalties-in-your-facility/