Introduction to Workplace Safety
Learn to describe workplace safety fundamentals.
Every employee has the right to expect a safe working environment. Each employer should strive to provide an acceptable level of safety in the workplace by controlling and eliminating recognizable hazards. Over the past several decades, laws have been passed to help ensure that workers are protected from hazards in the workplace, most notably the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
(1) This act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to formulate standards of safety and enforce the provisions of the act. The result has been a dramatic decrease in the number of work-related accidents, injuries, deaths and health hazards. Regardless of its size or type, each business is still legally responsible for maintaining a safe working environment.
As an employee, you are also responsible for upholding the regulations in order to help make the workplace safe and to take reasonable care of your own health and safety. You also should report to your employer if you have any health or safety concerns.
