This Quick Start feature is not a standard or
regulation, and creates no new legal obligations. It is advisory in nature,
informational in content, and is intended to assist employers in providing a
safe and healthful workplace through effective compliance and prevention programs adapted to
the needs of individual places of employment.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with
hazard-specific safety and health standards. In addition, employers must provide
their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause
death or serious physical harm under Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause of
the Act. Employers can be cited for violating the General Duty Clause if there
is a recognized hazard and they do not take appropriate steps to prevent or abate the
hazard.
OSHA maintains this Quick Start feature to enhance public access to information. This
feature is continually under development. We will
make every effort to keep it current and to correct errors brought to our
attention.
This feature includes hypertext pointers to information created and maintained
by other public and private organizations. While we believe that these external
links provide useful information, we do not control this information and cannot guarantee the accuracy,
relevance, timeliness, or completeness of information developed and maintained
by outside sources. Further, the inclusion of pointers to particular items
in hypertext is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to
endorse any views expressed or products or services offered by the author of the
reference or the organization operating the site on which the reference is
maintained.