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Setting up your office for OSHA
compliance
OSHA is the acronym for the Occupational
Safety and Health Act, which was signed into law in 1970. The
purpose of the law is to protect employees who work in U.S. companies,
and all businesses having one or more employees must comply.
As soon as you hire your first employee,
you will need to comply with this law, so it’s a good idea
to set up your compliance systems now. Check to see if your state
has an approved OSHA program (http://osha.gov/dcsp/osp/states.html);
if not, the federal OSHA compliance requirements apply to you.
Here are the general requirements for OSHA
compliance:
1. OSHA poster. Each workplace
(that’s an OSHA term) must display a poster informing employees
of their rights under OSHA. You can download the poster from OSHA’s
Web site at www.osha.gov/Publications/poster.html.
Note that it must be placed in a “conspicuous place”
where all staff members can see it, but it doesn’t have
to be in a place where patients can see it. The break room or
staff room might be a good place.
2. Hazardous chemicals.
For all substances your employees use that might be hazardous,
you must
• Obtain an information sheet called
a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from the manufacturer and
keep it where employees can get to it if there is an accident.
The MSDS will include information on how to deal with spills or
other accidents.
• Properly label all chemicals, especially
those that have been transferred to different containers.
See the “hazcom” (hazardous
communication) requirements at www.osha.gov/SLTC/hazardcommunications/solutions.html.
3. Blood-borne pathogens.
Although most chiropractic offices do not draw blood (which requires
strict adherence to regulations regarding blood-borne pathogens),
every office should have an exposure control plan in which you
detail your efforts to observe the general requirements for blood-borne
pathogens, implement housekeeping procedures, universal precautions
(treating everyone as if he/she were potentially infected), disposing
of biohazard materials, and providing personal protective equipment
for employees. More information from OSHA on this subject is available
here: www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/index.html).
4. Fire and egress (exit) precautions.
As part of this requirement, you may want to purchase fire extinguishers,
and determine how you will deal with fires in your office (including
exit plans). The OSHA Web site has more information on this subject
at www.osha.gov/SLTC/firesafety/index.html.
5. Recordkeeping requirements.
You may be required to keep records of workplace-related injuries,
accidents, illnesses, and exposures and if you have a major incident
in which employees are hospitalized, injured, or killed, you must
report this to OSHA immediately. This OSHA link contains a recordkeeping
handbook: www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/index.html.
6. Employee training. Finally,
and most important, employees must be trained in all of the above
procedures in order to protect themselves. Each employee should
receive training at hire, and at least once a year (more often
if there are changes in the office).
OSHA has a service that allows employers
to have an inspection to determine if there are any potential
hazards. (Here is more information about this program: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/consult.html.
Putting together an OSHA manual for your
office, training your employees regularly on OSHA safety procedures,
and implementing protections for your employees is the law; it
is also important in protecting your staff from injuries and illnesses
and exposures to dangerous substances. OSHA is for the safety
and health of your employees, but patients benefit from these
regulations, and you benefit by having a safer work environment
for everyone.
his article was meant to give you a
very brief overview of OSHA regulations. See the general resources
from OSHA below, or visit the OSHA Web site (www.osha.gov) for
more details on how you can comply.
Resources
OSHA’s Small Business Page
This page provides access to the most popular materials for small
businesses, from free on-site consultation to interactive computer
software to technical information to easy-to-follow guides for
specific OSHA standards. It also includes links to OSHA local
offices and the Small Business Administration.
http://osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/index.html
OSHA’s Small Business Handbook
These guidelines represent OSHA’s policy on what every worksite
should have in place to protect workers from occupational hazards.
www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/small-business.html#fourpoint
Safety and Health Program Checklist
Use this checklist to find out how your safety and health program
measures up and identify areas where improvements can be made.
www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/safetyhealth/mod4_tools_checkup.htm
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