Getting The Most Out Of OSHA’s Website

January 13, 2015 No Comments

 

 

The OSHA website, www.osha.gov , is both wonderful and confusing.   Wonderful because it has lots of great occupational safety and health resources on it.  Confusing because there’s far too much stuff on it (thousands of pages), and once you get familiar with it they seem to completely change it’s layout and navigation.

I used to work for OSHA and have been a regular visitor to their website since it first went on-line.  Below are the 14 OSHA web-pages that I use on a regular basis.  Hopefully, this brief compilation will save you time trying to find this information yourself, and help you to get familiar with this useful website:

  • All About OSHA    This 30-page booklet provides a general overview of OSHA and how it operates.
  • General Industry Safety Standards –   If your employer is not in construction, agriculture or longshoring, these are the standards you will need to know and comply with.
  • General Industry Standard Interpretations –   Understanding a standard is important.  But just as important is knowing OSHA’s official “interpretation” of it.
  • State Occupational Safety and Health Plans –  If you live in one of these states, you will need to comply with both the “federal” OSHA standards (above) and the additional safety standards that your state tacked on to them.
  • Most frequently cited standards –  Find out the most frequently cited OSHA standards for your industry (SIC) and for companies your size.
  • Establishment citation search –  Find out how many inspections OSHA has made at your company (or any company) and what citations were issued during each inspection.
  • OSHA office contact information –  Do you have a question on an OSHA standard?  Call your local OSHA office.  Don’t worry, I do it all the time and have never had OSHA make a visit because of one of my telephone calls.
  • The OSHA poster – You need to have this on your bulletin boards.
  • OSHA Injury & Illness Record-keeping Forms –  Downloadable files of the three required OSHA accident forms that each employer must complete.
  • OSHA publications –  Excellent, free, downloadable safety and health publications.
  • eTools  –   eTools are stand-alone, interactive, web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics.
  • Quick Takes –  OSHA’s bi-weekly newsletter on new standards, large fines that were issued,  OSHA directives and news releases.
  • OSHA’s Hispanic Safety Page –  All of OSHA’s many Spanish language publications and resources can be found here.

For  35 more free articles on OSHA standards and their interpretation and enforcement – click here to visit our “Everything You Need To Know About The OSHA Standards” webpage”!

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