labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Almost every industry is governed by specific OSHA regulations, and the construction industry is no exception.

There is little doubt that OSHA regulations save lives every day. On August 23, two roofing company employees were 10 stories up inspecting the façade of a building in downtown Chicago when the motor to the scaffold they were working from stalled and caused it to tilt. The OSHA mandated safety harnesses they wore kept them from falling. Within 30 minutes, the motor started working again, and the employees lowered themselves safely to the ground.

If the employees hadn’t been wearing the safety harnesses required by OSHA regulations, they would have fallen 10 stories onto the asphalt of a busy street. They would almost certainly have died, or been seriously injured.

Another recent incident just underscores the importance of OSHA’s regulations. OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer Anthony Nozzi of the North Aurora, Illinois Area Office happened to be driving by a Chicago-area residential construction site on August 22. Officer Nozzi observed employees working at approximately 30 feet above grade performing roofing work, without the required safety harnesses.

Officer Nozzi immediately stopped at the worksite. As he pulled up, the officer saw an employee trip on a slide guard and nearly fall off the roof. The employee caught himself on the side of a chimney, at the last minute, avoiding a potentially fatal fall.

Nozzi immediately conducted an impromptu inspection and asked the employer to cease work until employees were provided with adequate fall protection per OSHA rules. The employer, faced with the wrath of OSHA, complied.

Like safety harnesses, OSHA Safety posters are an integral part of employer’s safety programs. With the renewed emphasis on preventing job-related injuries, many employers subscribe to automatic updates from a reliable poster service. This ensures that they receive updated posters whenever changes are made.

Each employer is required by federal law to follow OSHA rules and display an OSHA Safety poster in a prominent location in the workplace. Additional requirements vary by state. Many employers fail to recognize that safety poster campaigns can increase awareness and reduce expensive, painful injuries.

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1. Posted by: Willy

   Does the employer of my company have the right to shut off the domestic hot water in my building to conserve energy costs? With all the stuff going around, washing hands in cold water just doesn’t seem right.

2. Posted by: Amelia

   Hi Willy! No, in most industries this is a violation of OSHA standards, which require both hot and cold water in restrooms. This standard is for exactly the reasons you mentioned — so that employees can wash their hands in warm water. If the employer cannot resolve this, you should file a formal complaint with OSHA at http://www.osha.gov. HTH, and thanks for reading the blogs!~ Amelia