Employers with at least 1 employee are required to display a poster prepared by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that informs workers of their rights under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The poster must be physically displayed in a conspicuous place where employees can view it, such as a break room, general bulletin board or jobsite trailer. Virtual or online versions of the poster do not count as being “posted.” The poster is obtainable from OSHA for free, or a reasonable facsimile may be created to contain the same information.
“The OSHA Workplace Poster is intended to give workers information to report unsafe workplaces or practices to OSHA,” says Robert Box of Safety First Consulting in Georgetown, Texas. “The OSHA Workplace Poster also lists workers’ safety rights as afforded by the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
The OSHA Workplace Poster also exists to remind employers of their responsibility to provide a safe and healthful workplace for all workers. “Most employers are not aware that 25% of all OSHA inspections originate from workers’ complaints to OSHA,” says Box.
The poster is available in seven languages, but only the English version is required by OSHA regulation to be physically posted. However, since Texas has a significant presence of Spanish-speaking workers, OSHA recommends posting the Spanish version of the OSHA Workplace Poster as well.
Beware of Scams
Some private companies sell a version of the OSHA poster, but it’s not necessary to buy since the OSHA provides them free of charge. In some cases, individuals have fraudulently identified themselves as OSHA representatives and threatened to fine employers that do not buy their OSHA posters. “We continue to learn of complaints from employers who have received ‘official looking’ announcements and in some cases, threatening notices, messages or telephone calls from various companies requiring that employers purchase OSHA documents from them in order to remain in compliance with OSHA rules and regulations,” the agency said. The most popular document being offered for sale is the OSHA Workplace Poster.
“It’s important that employers do not become victim of misleading solicitation practices or incur unnecessary costs where these resources are concerned,” OSHA said. If found in this situation, OSHA asks that you file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. You can also contact any OSHA area office nationwide to report a misleading solicitation, or to get information on specific workplace safety and health requirements.
Safety First Consulting helps businesses identify OSHA compliance deficiencies in their workplaces for less than the cost of one OSHA penalty, and can manage safety programs for businesses for less than half the cost of hiring a full time Safety Manager. In addition to offering custom written safety programs for companies, Safety First Consulting provides required safety training, industrial hygiene sampling, noise sampling, and workplace inspections.