Emergency Plan Manual

36 OSHA: Ready to Help You! OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. What Does OSHA Do? OSHA,s mission is to ensure that employers provide safe and healthful working conditions for their employees, so that no one killed or injured on the job or becomes ill due to exposure to hazards in their workplaces. How Does OSHA Do This? – Issues regulations, guidelines, and other information to help employers and employees understand job safety and health requirements. – Conducts workplace inspections to ensure that employers comply with safety and health regulations. –Provides technical and compliance assistance, and works through partnerships and other cooperative relationships to help employers reduce workplace accidents and injuries. – Assists employers and workers by answering questions on how to improve safety and health conditions and providing publications and interactive guidance software on its website at www.osha.gpv. – Provides education and training about workplace safety and health issues on request. – Works with other organizations to share information about safety and health with employers and employees who may not be familiar with their rights and responsibilities and who work in circumstances that make it difficult for OSHA to reach them. Why Are OSHA Programs Important To Me? Compared to other populations groups, Hispanics are dying in numbers greater than their proportions of the workforce . OSHA wants to work with employers, employees, trade and professional organizations, unions, and community and faith-based groups to reduce injuries, illnesses, and deaths among Spanish-speaking workers. Pull quote: The disproportionately high number of work-related deaths suffered by non-English- speaking–including Hispanic–workers is of grave concern to us. These workers are among the most vulnerable in America. To improve their safety we must clearly identify the underlying problems and trends contributing to this situation. —John L. Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. What Do I Need to Know About OSHA? The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA Act) covers most private sector employers and employees in such varied fields as manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding, agriculture, medicine, charity and disaster relief, and private education. Federal OSHA, or an OSHA-approved state program, is responsible for working with employers and employees to promote safe and healthful working, conditions in our nation’s workplaces. OSHA is committed