The Occupational Safety and Health Act

The Occupational Safety and Health Act

The Occupational Safety and Health Act have indeed improved the safety and healthy working conditions in organizations by their standards. The act has played a significant role in training employees and employers and enforcing rules and regulations that ensure American working men and women are safe in their workplaces. However, the act only works to reduce safety hazards, it takes the employees and their coworkers and employers to ensure their safety, and they are free from workplace hazards. Without them remaining responsible and following the standards set by the act, their security will still be in danger.

Employers also have a significant role in ensuring safety at the workplaces, since they are the ones accountable for employees’ injury or safety while at work. Safety and health conditions of employees at work also have significant impacts on productivity. Injured employees will not be productive and therefore, business profits and produces will consequently reduce a loss to the employer.

Response to Courtney Newkirk: I agree that organizations must also take responsibility in their safety. They must utilize the safety measures and comply with the OSH standards. It is also true that organizations should have a general duty clause to help in cases of undetected violations since OSH may not be able to inspect a large number of organizations at all times.

Response to Kacy Coldiron: the holding of employees accountable for the safety of their employees by OSHA does not only encourage safety, but it also increases the productivity of organization and profit maximization since there will not be a lot of expenditures on health insurance. It is clear that employers success and profit maximization depend primarily on their employees’ productivity, and therefore their safety should be a top consideration.