As a worker, you can reduce your risk of lost wages, serious injury or even death by making a few simple enquiries to ensure that your workplace is as safe as your employer can make it. It goes without saying that your employer should be following all applicable government safety regulations for your industry. OSHA requires employers to protect their workers from workplace dangers that could cause illness or injury. Failure to comply with OSHA regulations can result in heavy penalties to a business. OSHA can impose financial penalties of up to $7,000 for each serious safety violation, and $70,000 for a repeated violation. And of course, workers' compensation actions from injured employees, if successful, may add to those costs.
Safety Evaluation
It's wise for your employer to conduct a thorough safety evaluation of all workspaces in your business. The Centers for Disease Control offers a list of safety resources for an office environment. Keep in mind that workplace safety consists of more than just preventing the most obvious hazards, such as falls, exposure to toxic substances, or electrical accidents. Your employer should also take daily stressors into account, such as loud, frequent workplace noises, office furniture that cannot be adjusted and that might result in repetitive stress injuries, and suboptimal workplace temperature and ventilation.
Crime Prevention
Environmental hazards are not the only dangers workers may face on the job. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that every week in the United States, an average of 20 workers are murdered and 18,000 are attacked while they are at work. If you work in a retail trade, health care, community services, or a service industry, you are at higher risk for workplace crime. Your employer should have safety practices in place to reduce the risk of crime, such as good premises lighting, barriers between employees and the public, employee training and security devices.
Education & Training
Your employer has a responsibility to educate you and your coworkers about the potential hazards of working at his business, and to give you relevant safety training. Most employers are required to display an OSHA poster at work informing workers of their protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Your employer is required to keep accurate and complete records of workplace-related illnesses and injuries. He is required to notify OSHA within eight hours if there has been a workplace incident resulting in a death, or when three or more workers have to go to a hospital. He is also forbidden to retaliate or discriminate against you, or your co-workers, when you exercise your rights under the OSHA law.
If you feel that your employer has not fulfilled his legal responsibilities concerning workplace safety; if you have been injured on the job and feel that your employer was responsible; or if you have reported unsafe conditions at work, and feel that your employer retaliated against you because of it, a consultation with a premises liability lawyer may be helpful. Top New York personal injury lawyers can help you win compensation for injuries and lost wages due to an employer's neglect or unlawful discrimination.