As an employer, no doubt you are concerned about employee safety and wellbeing. The federal government cares, too, and provides extensive guidelines to help keep employees safe through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Let’s look at how federal safety mandates impact your business and the importance of complying with OSHA laws – including the requirement to display the OSHA poster.
OSHA Defined
Through the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), Congress created OSHA to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for employees. OSHA is responsible for setting and enforcing workplace safety standards and also provides training, outreach, education and assistance for employers and employees.
One of the primary directives from OSHA is that employers must provide important safety information to all employees. The OSHA Job Safety and Health: It's the Law poster informs workers of their rights under the OSH Act.
Why OSHA Posters Are Important
The OSHA poster explains to employees that they are entitled to a workplace free from recognized hazards under the OSH Act, with guidance on how to report workplace hazards.
Most private sector employers are covered under OSHA, and all businesses with one or more employees must post an OSHA poster in the workplace.
States also can set their own health and safety standards, including having state OSHA posting requirements. Therefore, it’s important to monitor federal and state or territory guidelines for updates. States and territories with their own OSHA laws are:
Follow the Law to Avoid Potential Fines
Display your OSHA poster in a conspicuous location accessible to all employees, such as employee break rooms, entrance areas, lounges and near time clock stations. In addition, all OSHA posters must be displayed at a minimum size of 8.5” x 14” with a font size of at least 10-point type. While posting the notice in multiple languages is not required, OSHA encourages employers to display posters in additional languages for the benefit of employees who don’t speak English.
Failure to display an OSHA poster at all — or at the right size and in the right location — could lead to government fines, so it’s critically important to follow the rules. If you are audited and the federal OSHA poster isn’t on display, you could face a fine up to $16,131.
Where to Get OSHA Posters
Federal and state OSHA posters are available from the various agencies that issue them. A challenge and frustration for many small business owners is monitoring changes and posting updates in a timely manner. Remember, if your OSHA poster or other federally required labor law posters aren’t up to date, you may face a series of fines.
Easily Comply with All Federal, State and Local Posting Laws
If juggling postings and agencies sounds overwhelming, consider an easier solution: Poster Guard® Poster Compliance Service. This convenient annual service provides every required federal, state, county and city labor law posting (including all OSHA-required posters) and automatically ships you a replacement poster every time a mandatory change occurs – no matter how often that happens throughout the year. This all-inclusive service is backed by an expert legal team that monitors thousands of agencies and regulations year-round. Best of all: It ensures your business is 100% compliant with the latest labor law regulations.
