Additional
Assistance
OSHA
provides a wide range of references and services to help
employers and employees improve workplace health and safety
and comply with regulatory requirements. These include
the following:
To file a complaint, report an emergency,
or seek OSHA advice, assistance, or products, call 1-800-321
OSHA or your nearest regional
office. The teletypewriter (TTY) number is 1-877-889-5627.
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What
education and training does OSHA offer? |
OSHA
area offices offer a variety of information
services including publications, audiovisual aids,
technical advice, and speakers for special engagements.
In addition, OSHA’s Training Institute in Des Plaines,
IL, provides basic and advanced courses in safety
and health for federal and state compliance officers,
state consultants, federal agency employees, and
private-sector employers, employees, and their representatives.
Due to the high demand for OSHA Training Institute
courses, OSHA Training Institute Education Centers
also offer some courses at sites throughout the
United States. These centers are nonprofit colleges,
universities, and other organizations selected through
a competitive process. OSHA also provides grants
to nonprofit organizations to conduct specialized
workplace training and education not available from
other sources. Grants are awarded annually. Recipients
contribute 20 percent of the total grant cost.
For more information on grants, training, and education,
contact the OSHA Training Institute, Office of Training
and Education by mail at 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines
IL 60018; by phone at (847) 297-4810, or by fax
at (847) 297-4874.
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| What
other publications does
OSHA offer? |
|
OSHA offers more than 100 documents, including brochures, fact sheets, posters,
pocket cards, flyers, technical documents, and a quarterly magazine. These documents are available
online or by calling (202) 693-1888. Among the
titles are the following:
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| What
free onsite consultation
services does OSHA provide? |
The
OSHA Consultation Service offers free onsite safety
and health consultation services to help employers
establish and maintain safe and healthful workplaces.
The service is funded largely by OSHA and is delivered
by professional safety and health consultants within
state governments. Developed primarily for smaller
employers with more hazardous operations, the service
includes an appraisal of all mechanical systems,
physical work practices, environmental workplace
hazards, and all aspects of the employer’s job safety
and health program.
The onsite consultation program is separate from
OSHA’s inspection efforts. No penalties are proposed
or citations issued for safety or health problems
identified by an OSHA consultant. The service is
confidential. The employer’s and firm’s name, and
any information about the workplace, including any
unsafe or unhealthful working conditions the consultant
identifies, are not reported routinely to the OSHA
inspection staff. The employer, however, is obligated
to correct any serious job safety and health hazards
identified in a timely manner, and commits to do
so when requesting the service.
For more information,
click
here for a list of contact telephone numbers.
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| What
are the Voluntary Protection
Programs? |
The Voluntary Protection Programs,
or VPPs, recognize and promote effective safety
and health program management. Companies in the
VPP have strong safety and health programs, implemented
and managed cooperatively by their management and
labor forces in cooperation with OSHA. Sites approved
for VPP's three programs - Star, Merit, and Demonstration
- meet and maintain rigorous standards. Benefits
to participants include the following:
- Lost-workday case rates generally 60 to 80
percent below industry averages;
- Reduced workers' compensation and other injury-
and illness-related costs;
- Improved employee motivation to work safely,
leading to better quality and productivity;
- Positive community recognition and interaction;
- Further improvement and revitalization of
already good safety and health programs; and
- Partnership with OSHA.
For more information, contact
the VPP manager in your
OSHA regional office.
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| What
partnership opportunities
does OSHA provide? |
OSHA
has initiated partnerships with employers, employees,
and employee representatives in a wide range of
industries to encourage, assist, and recognize efforts
to eliminate workplace hazards. Participants work
together to identify a common goal, develop plans
to achieve it, and implement those plans in a cooperative
way. Partnerships can transform relationships between
OSHA and an employer or entire industry. Former
adversaries recognize that working together to solve
workplace safety and health problems is to everyone's
advantage.
For more information, contact your
OSHA regional office.
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| What
is the value of a good safety
and health program? |
A
good, effectively managed worker safety and health
program can be a big factor in reducing work-related
injuries and illnesses and their related costs.
OSHA offers voluntary guidelines to help employers
and employees in workplaces it covers develop effective
safety and health programs. Safety and Health Program
Management Guidelines (Federal
Register 54(18): 3908-3916, January 26, 1989)
identifies four general elements critical to a successful
safety and health management system. These are:
- Management leadership and employee involvement;
- An analysis of worksite hazards;
- Use of hazard prevention and control initiatives;
and
- Safety and health training.
These
guidelines are posted on the OSHA website. Also,
see OSHA's
Safety and Health Management Systems eTool.
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| What
is the role of state programs? |
The
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 encourages
states to develop and operate their own job safety
and health plans. States that do so must adopt standards
and enforce requirements that are at least as effective
as federal requirements. Twenty-four states and
two territories have adopted their own plans, three
of which cover only public employees. For more information,
here is a listing of states and territories with
approved plans.
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| What
other groups or associations
can help me? |
Various organizations can
provide you with safety and health information that
may help you in formulating your emergency
action plan, or in taking steps to protect your
employees during an emergency. A few are listed
here.
Safety
Data Sheets, Guides and Manuals
- AIHA Hygienic Guide Series. American Industrial
Hygiene Association, 2700 Prosperity Avenue,
Fairfax, VA 22031.
- ANSI Standards, Z37 Series, Acceptable Concentrations
of Toxic Dusts and Gases. American National
Standards Institute, 11 West 42nd Street, New
York, NY 10036.
- ASTM Standards and Related Material. American
Society for Testing and Materials, 1916 Race
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Safety Standards and Specifications
Groups
- American National Standards Institute, 11
West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. Coordinates
and administers the federal voluntary standardization
system in the United States.
- American Society for Testing and Materials,
1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. The
world's largest source of voluntary consensus
standards for materials, products, systems,
and services.
Fire Protection Organizations
- Factory Insurance Association, 85 Woodland
Street, Hartford, CT 06105. Composed of capital
stock insurance companies that provide engineering,
inspection, and loss-adjustment services.
- Factory Mutual System, 1151 Boston-Providence
Turnpike, Norwood, MA 02062. An industrial fire
protection, engineering, and inspection bureau
established by mutual fire insurance companies.
- National Fire Protection Association, 470
Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. A clearinghouse
for information on fire protection and prevention
as well as NFPA standards.
- Underwriter Laboratories, Inc., 207 East Ohio
Street, Chicago, IL 60611. A nonprofit organization
that publishes annual lists of manufacturers
that provide products meeting appropriate standards.
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