POBF 4.01

1. Principles of Business
4.01 – Adhere to health and
safety regulations to support
a safe work environment.

2. Key Terms
Key Term Definition
Accident An unexpected happening that may result in injury, loss, or damage.
Compliance Fulfilling the requirements of the law.
Hazard Potential events or situations that can cause injury or harm to
people, property, or the environment
Health The state of being free from illness or injury.
Imminent Danger Any conditions or practices in any place of employment which are
such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to
cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the
imminence of such danger can be eliminated through the
enforcement procedures otherwise provided by OSHA.

3. Key Terms
Key Terms Definition
Noncompliance Failure to act in accordance with a wish or command.
Occupational Health A multi-disciplinary approach to developing and
ensuring compliance with safe working practices, and
maintaining the health and well-being of those
employed in a particular occupation or workplace.
OSHA- Occupational Safe and Health Agency A federal government agency that writes and enforces
safety and health standards for businesses.
Outcome The way a thing turns out; a consequence; a result.
Risk The possibility of loss (failure) or gain (success).
Safety Freedom from danger, risk, or injury.

4. HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS IN BUSINESS

5. Reasons for Health & Safety Regulations in Business
• Provide a safe and healthy work environment for all employees
and customers.
• To protect workers from being forced to complete unnecessary
dangerous activities.
• Educate workers on ways to prevent illness and/or injury on the
job.
• Unhealthy, unsafe, and stressful workplaces can cost employers
large amounts of money in workers’ compensation, absenteeism,
disability, and high employee turnover.
• Safe and healthy employees = happy and productive employees.

6. Types of Hazards
• The many kinds of workplace hazards are divided into three categories:
• 1. Physical – Hazards due to a transfer of energy between an object and a
worker.
– Examples: Heights; a hot oven; big, heavy machines.
• 2. Chemical – Hazards due to contact with chemicals.
– Examples: Cleaners, pesticides, fertilizers.
• 3. Biological – Hazards due to contact with living organisms or their by-
products.
– Examples: Molds, bacteria, HIV, grain dust.
These categories are not mutually exclusive; they are important only in that they
give structure to a broad topic.

7. Pathways of Exposure
• Physical Hazards
• Energy is transferred to a worker in a variety of ways:
Heat (burns) Falling Objects Falling from
Heights

8. Pathways of Exposure
• Biological and Chemical Hazards
• Workers are exposed to these hazards by the following means:
• Inhalation (breathing in)
• Absorption (passing through skin)
• Entrance through cuts or abrasions
• Ingestion (swallowing)

9. A Body’s Response to Hazards
Temporary Vs. Permanent
illnesses and Injuries
Temporary Examples Permanent Examples
Small cuts Losing a finger
Bruises Losing eyesight
Strains Developing work-
related asthma
Sunburns
Immediate vs. later in life
illnesses and Injuries
Immediate Examples Later in Life Examples
Cutting finger Gradual loss of hearing
over time.
Break arm Carpel tunnel
Small burn Back problems caused by
repeated lifting.
Sprained ankle Cancer or lung disease
caused by prolonged
exposure to harmful
chemicals

10. Hazard Recognition Group Activity
• 1. Divide into groups of 2-3 students.
• 2. Your group will be assigned a Hazard Recognition Visual Card
to study.
• 3. Use the See it, Think it, Do it strategy to brainstorm ideas
and answers to the questions found in the chart given on the
first page.
• 4. Complete the questions on the second page of the handout
in reference to your visual card.
• 5. Each group will present their findings to the class.

11. OSHA:
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
• The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was passed to
prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work.
• The law requires employers to provide their employees with
working conditions that are free of known dangers. OSHA sets and
enforces protective workplace safety and health standards.
• OSHA provides information, training, and assistance to workers
and employers.
• Workers may file a complaint to have OSHA inspect their
workplace if they believe that their employer is not following OSHA
standards or that there are serious hazards.

12. OSHA – Workers’ Rights
• Under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace. Your employer must provide a workplace free
of known health and safety hazards. If you have concerns, you have the right to speak up about
them without fear of retaliation. You also have the right to:
• Be trained in a language you understand
• Work on machines that are safe
• Be provided required safety gear, such as gloves or a harness and lifeline for falls
• Be protected from toxic chemicals
• Request an OSHA inspection, and speak to the inspector
• Report an injury or illness, and get copies of your medical records
• See copies of the workplace injury and illness log
• Review records of work-related injuries and illnesses
• Get copies of test results done to find hazards in the workplace

13. OSHA – Who is Covered?
• Private Sector Workers – OSHA covers most private sector employers and
workers 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. State-run health and safety programs must be at least
as effective as the Federal OSHA program.
• State and Local Government Workers – Employees who work for state and
local governments are NOT covered by Federal OSHA, but have OSH Act
protections if they work in a state that has an OSHA-approved state
program.
• Federal Government Workers – OSHA's protection applies to all federal
agencies. Federal agencies must have a safety and health program that
meet the same standards as private employers.

14. OSHA – Who is Not Covered?
• Self-employed
• Immediate family members of farm employers that do not
employ outside employees
• Workplace Hazards regulated by another Federal agency (for
example, the Mine Safety and Heath Administration, the
Federal Aviation Administration, the Coast Guard).

15. Employer Responsibilities
• Employers MUST provide their employees with a workplace
that does not have serious hazards and follow all relevant
OSHA safety and health standards.
• Employers must find and correct safety and health problems.
• Employers must try to eliminate or reduce hazards first by
making changes in working conditions rather than just relying
on masks, gloves, ear plugs, or other types of personal
protective equipment (PPE).

16. Employer Responsibilities (cont.)
• Inform employees about hazards through training, labels, alarms, color-coded
systems, chemical information sheets, and other methods.
• Keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
• Perform tests in the workplace, such as air sampling required by some OSHA
standards.
• Provide hearing exams or other medical tests required by OSHA standards.
• Post OSHA citations, injury and illness data, and the OSHA poster in the
workplace where workers will see them.
• Notify OSHA of all work-related fatalities within 8 hours, and all work-related
inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations and all losses of an eye within 24
hours.
• Not discriminate or retaliate against a worker for using their rights under the
law.

17. Employee Duties
• Safety Training – Employees have a duty and the right to obtain
occupational safety training from his/her employer.
• Filing Complaints – When a violation of occupational safety and
health laws is suspected, an employee must file a formal complaint
with OSHA.
• Investigation Participation – When an OSHA compliance officer
investigates a workplace, it is imperative for an employee
representative, such as a union representative, to accompany him on
the facility tour, or that a group of workers be consulted. The rep
CANNOT be chosen by the employer. The rep must inform the officer
of all suspected hazards, as well as any accidents or injuries that have
occurred.

18. Rights and Responsibilities T-Chart
• Go to www.OSHA.gov.
• Use the website and this powerpoint to complete Rights and
Responsibilities T-Chart.
• Must be completed individually.

19. Filing Complaints with OSHA
Complaint Filing Options:
1. Online - Go to OSHA.gov to submit an Online Complaint Form.
2. Download and Fax/Mail – Download the OSHA complaint form, complete it and
then fax or mail it back to your local OSHA regional or area office. (Written
complaints that are signed by a worker or representative and submitted to the
closest OSHA Area Office are more likely to result in onsite OSHA inspections.)
3. Telephone – If there is an emergency or the hazard is immediately life-threatening,
call your local OSHA Regional or Area Office or 1-800-321-OSHA.

20. Filing Complaints with OSHA
• When can a complaint be filed?
• OSHA recommends that employees try to resolve safety and
health issues first by reporting them to their supervisors,
managers, or the safety and health committee.
• At any time, however, employees can complain to their local
OSHA Area Office and ask for an inspection or an investigation.
• *NOTE: Discrimination complaints must be filed within 30 days
of the alleged discrimination.

21. OSHA COMPLAINT HANDLING PROCESS

22. 1. Evaluating Employee Complaints
• OSHA evaluated each complaint to determine how it can be best handled – an offsite or an onsite
inspection.
• At least one of the following eight criteria must be met for OSHA to conduct an onsite inspection:
1. A written, signed complaint by a current employee or employee representative with enough detail to
enable OSHA to determine that a violation or danger likely exists that threatens physical harm or that
an imminent danger exists.
2. An allegation that physical harm has occurred as a result of the hazard and that it still exists.
3. A report of an imminent danger.
4. A complaint about a company in an industry covered by one of OSHA's local or national emphasis
programs or a hazard targeted by one of these programs.
5. Inadequate response from an employer who has received information on the hazard through a
phone/fax investigation.
6. A complaint against an employer with a past history of egregious, willful or failure to abate OSHA
citations within the past three years.
7. Referral from a whistle blower investigator.
8. Complaint at a facility scheduled for or already undergoing an OSHA inspection.

23. 2. Inspection Priorities
• 1st Priority – Imminent danger complaint.
• 2nd Priority – Any facility or catastrophe – an accident that
requires hospitalization of 3 or more workers. (Employers are
required to report fatalities and catastrophes to OSHA within 8
hours.)
• 3rd Priority – Employee complaints and referrals.

24. 3. Keeping Workers Informed
• After OSHA conducts an inspection or
investigation, the agency sends a letter to the
worker who filed the complaint outlining the
findings, including citations and proposed
penalties.