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OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires all employers to post the OSHA 300 form from February 1 until April 30 of each year.

The OSHA 300 recounts the work-related injuries and illnesses that took place in the workplace during the previous year. The 2008 form, therefore, would detail all the incidents that occurred in 2007, plus the causes of the incidents. By keeping a record of the work-related incidents, companies can pinpoint problem areas in the workplace and then plan how it will correct those problems in the coming year.

One of OSHA’s main goals is to help Florida employers prevent workplace accidents and illnesses. The agency feels that “Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure the safety and health of America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.”

To assist companies even further, OSHA conducts free on-site evaluations of the workplace. The agency works with employers to find and to fix hazards.

OSHA is a federal agency and handles the workplace safety for the majority of employers in the United States, both for businesses and for non-profit agencies. A couple of industries, however, are allowed by federal law to be regulated by their own industry’s worker safety program. The mining industry is an example. The MSHA (Mining Safety and Health Agency) regulates the mining industry, because safety standards in this industry are unlike those required in most businesses. Transportation is another industry governed by other than OSHA. The Department of Transportation heavily regulates railroads and others in transportation, including rules for worker safety.

Posting of the OSHA 300 in a prominent position is required. Companies that fail to display the form at all, and those that fail to keep the post in place for the allotted time will be subject to fines.

The federal government has established a set of regulations for workplace health and safety that all Florida employers must follow. These regulations are set and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal agency. States are allowed to establish their own agencies, but they must first be approved by the federal government.

The process to establish a state agency requires federal approval of the development plan, and certification. To get certified, the state must guarantee the federal government that it will be able to have the agency up and running efficiently within 3 years.

Federal regulations also require state agencies to be at least as effective as the federal OSHA. As a result, most state programs are nearly identical to the federal program. Currently, 22 states have their own employee safety and health agencies.

Washington Occupational Safety and Health Administration (WISHA) is an example of a state agency that mirrors the federal program. WISHA performs its own safety inspections. It also offers training classes in occupation health and safety. Like OSHA, too, WOSHA provides employers with a free on-site evaluation of their workplace. This program assists companies in detecting and repairing any hazards.

California has its own state agency, too, but took the federal guidelines one step further. Federal standards require certain workplace hazards be publicly posted. California complies, identified additional hazards and posts those as well.

All employers, whether under the jurisdiction of their state agency or the federal OSHA, must post an OSHA 300 form. This form is a record of all illnesses and injuries related to the workplace. Regulations mandate the form be posted each year from February 1 to April 30. The form allows employees to see what has occurred in their company and gauge its safety accordingly.

Preventing accidents in the workplace is a major goal of OSHA. To achieve this goal, the agency urges all employers to ensure their employees follow safety procedures and precautions. It also encourages companies to remind their workers how important it is to work in a safe and healthy environment.

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