What Is OSHA?

Since 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has maintained the standard for workplace safety for all industries across the United States, including OSHA ergonomics requirements. The Occupational Safety and Health Act, passed in 1970, prevents workers in all places of business from suffering musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or being killed or seriously harmed, injured or maimed at work.

The law requires that employers provide employees with safe working conditions that are free of known and suspected dangers. OSHA also created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards. And OSHA provides information, training, and assistance to both workers and employers on a regular basis.

OSHA Ergonomics Requirements

At OSHA, worker safety is their top priority. OSHA looks for the following problems or common workplace situations when determining OSHA ergonomics requirements and standard conformity.

Exerting excessive force: Lifting heavy objects or people, moving or transporting heavy loads, manual pouring of substances, and maintaining control of equipment and/or tools.
Repetitive movements: Performing the same motion or series of motions continually or frequently for an extended time period.
Awkward work postures: Maintaining the same posture or position for extended periods of time. Positions that place stress on the body include prolonged or repetitive reaching above the shoulder, kneeling, squatting, leaning, using a knife with wrists bent, or twisting the torso while lifting.
Localized pressure on a body part: Pressing the body or part of the body (such as the hand or wrist) against hard or sharp edges (e.g., a desk) or using the hand as a hammer.
Equipment vibration: Vibrations experienced by the whole body or individual body parts can cause a number of adverse health effects, including small capillary damage and a reduced supply of nutrients to the body. Vibrations can also cause a worker to lose feeling in their extremities. These issues can be the result of regular use of equipment such as hammers, drills, jackhammers, grinders, and chainsaws.
Cold temperatures: When combined with any one of the above risk factors, cold temperatures may also increase the potential for MSDs.

Combined exposure to several risk factors may place workers at a higher risk for MSDs than exposure to any one risk factor.

Workers’ Rights Under OSHA

Part of OSHA’s ergonomic process includes a periodic facility review for these and other risk factors. An OSHA inspector looks at specific workstation designs and work practices, plus examines the overall production process from an ergonomic perspective.

OSHA creates laws that require employers to provide a safe and habitable place to work. And those laws work both ways, meaning workers have the right to speak up if they feel that their workplace conditions are not conducive to health and safety. Just as employers must abide by OSHA regulations or face serious fines, workers also have the right to report violations of OSHA standards.

According to OSHA ergonomics requirements and regulations, workers are entitled to the following rights.
• Work conditions that do not pose a risk of serious harm.
• Receiving information and training (in a language and vocabulary the worker understands) about workplace hazards, methods to prevent them, and OSHA standards that apply to their workplace.
• Review records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
• Observe testing that is done to find hazards in the workplace and get test results.
• Obtain copies of their medical records.
• File a complaint asking OSHA to inspect their workplace if they believe there is a serious hazard or that their employer is not following OSHA’s rules. (OSHA keeps all identities confidential.)
• Exercise their rights under the law without retaliation, including reporting an injury or raising health and safety concerns with their employer or OSHA. If a worker has been retaliated against for using their rights, they must file a complaint with OSHA as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days.

How to Contact OSHA

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education, and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov or call OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), TTY 1-877-889-5627.

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