What is OSHA and its purpose?

With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.

Examples of OSHA standards include require- ments to provide fall protection, prevent trenching cave-ins, prevent exposure to some infectious diseases, ensure the safety of workers who enter confined spaces, prevent exposure to such harmful substances as asbestos and lead, put guards on machines, provide respirators or ...

The OSH Act covers most private sector employers and their workers, in addition to some public sector employers and workers in the 50 states and certain territories and jurisdictions under federal authority.

In a natural field experiment, researchers found that companies subject to random OSHA inspections showed a 9.4 percent decrease in injury rates compared with uninspected firms. The researchers found no evidence of any cost to inspected companies complying with regulations.

In some jobs, failure to use PPE properly can be grounds for disciplinary action or even dismissal. However, you can refuse to wear PPE if it puts your safety at risk, because it doesn't fit properly for example. Ask your employer or the firm's safety representative for the right size.

OSHA's VPP encourages employee participation, yet this becomes a disadvantage to employers. The National Labor Relations Act may complicate employee involvement along with giving employees too much control over workplace issues. This can develop into management and employee disagreements over health and safety issues.

Most employees in the nation come under OSHA's jurisdiction. OSHA covers most private sector employers and employees in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through Federal OSHA or through an OSHA- approved state plan.

Wooden ladders must not be coated with any material that may obscure structural defects. Metal ladders must be made with corrosion-resistant material or protected against corrosion. Ladder surfaces must be free of puncture and laceration hazards. Ladders must only be used for the purpose for which they were designed.

Place a ladder on boxes, barrels or other unstable bases. Move or shift a ladder with a person or equipment on the ladder. Use cross bracing on the rear of stepladders for climbing. Paint a ladder with opaque coatings.

Stairrail systems and handrails shall be so surfaced as to prevent injury to employees from punctures or lacerations, and to prevent snagging of clothing. Handrails shall provide an adequate handhold for employees grasping them to avoid falling.

The base of the ladder should be placed so that it is one foot away from the building for every four feet of hight to where the ladder rests against the building. This is known as the 4 to 1 rule.

Tempting as it may be, never sit or stand on the very top step of the ladder. In fact, ladder manufacturers—and emergency room doctors—recommend never standing above the third highest step. Only climb up the front of the ladder, never the back side.

A simple rule that everyone should learn and follow from ladder training is called the “belt buckle rule.” This rule is very self-explanatory. The user of the ladder should simply keep their body positioned to keep their torso and belt buckle in between the side rails of the ladder.

Avoid tipping the ladder over sideways or causing the ladder base to slide out. Carry tools in a tool belt or raise tools up using a hand line. Never carry tools in your hands while climbing up/down a ladder. Extend the top of the ladder three feet above the landing.

Each year, there are more than 164,000 emergency room-treated injuries and 300 deaths in the U.S. that are caused by falls from ladders. Most ladder deaths are from falls of 10 feet or less.

Do not use a ladder that has cracks, lose or corroded rivets, defective braces, or parts (including the slip resistant feet) that are in poor condition. Make sure it is free of grease or oil or other slippery substances. Open the stepladder spreaders and shelf fully and lock the braces. Check stability.

Per OSHA regulations, traditional stepladders should never be leaned directly against a vertical surface because they are designed to be exclusively self-supporting.