OSHA Resources

What is OSHA and how are we connected to them?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enacts the standards and regulations that employers must comply with and inspects workplaces to ensure that employers are complying with the regulations. OSHA also helps to enforce workers’ rights; however, it is limited in its enforcement powers due to the low number of OSHA inspectors. With less than 2,200 federal and state OSHA inspectors on staff, it would take over 130 years for every workplace in the United States to be inspected. This is why it is important for workers to be actively involved in safety and health committees in their workplace and to report concerns to union stewards and/or union representatives to ensure that employers adhere to OSHA standards.

Your Rights Under OSHA

You have the right to a safe and healthy workplace. Click below to learn more about your rights, your employer’s responsibilities, and what steps you can take if you believe you are working under unsafe conditions.

How to Contact OSHA

Please visit this link to identify your local OSHA office: OSHA Offices by State | Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

How to File a Complaint

OSHA gives workers and their representatives the right to file a complaint.  Filing an OSHA complaint is considered a last resort and only encouraged when all other methods of bringing the hazard to management’s attention have failed. However, consider filing an OSHA complaint if the hazard poses an immediate danger of injury or death. A complaint will usually trigger an inspection of the workplace.  If violations of OSHA standards are found, then citations will be issued.  The employer will be required to correct the hazards and possibly pay a fine. If your place of employment is unionized, it is best to notify and work with your local union to file an OSHA complaint to ensure that union rights under the OSH Act of 1970 are exercised in the event of an OSHA inspection.

The union should receive copies of OSHA citations, if any are issued. During the closing conference, ensure that the OSHA inspector remembers to provide the union with a copy of the citations, which are also required to be posted at the work site for all employees to see.