As an employer, you are responsible for protecting the safety and health of your employees. Over the last several decades, laws have been passed to ensure workers are protected from hazards in the workplace. Examples are the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970, the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which covers rules concerning the employment of young workers.

As an employer, under the provisions of the OSH Act, you must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to your employees regardless of the size of your business. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established to create standards and regulations that implement the Act.

As an employer, you must comply with OSHA standards and regulations. The following workplace safety and health resources will help you understand requirements that apply to your business and how to comply.

For Small Businesses

• OSHA Guidance for Small Businesses
  Offers a user-friendly web portal to help small businesses understand and comply with the OSH Act.

• OSHA's Small Business Handbook
  Provides a handbook that helps small business employers meet the legal requirements imposed by the OSH Act, and achieve an in-compliance status before an OSHA inspection.

• Workplace Poster Requirements for Small Businesses and Other Employees
  Supplies electronic copies of the required workplace posters, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor.

• CDC Health Hazards Evaluation Program
  Provides free evaluations of workplace health hazards at the request of employers, employees, and union representatives.  This program is offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose medical scientists and industrial hygienists help determine whether exposures in the workplace pose a hazard to employee health. They can address chemical and biological hazards, noise, ergonomics, and even job stress, among others. Evaluees receive a report describing the problems and recommendations to reduce workplace hazards and illnesses. The program can provide advice on implementing the recommendations and evaluate their effectiveness.

• NIOSH Small Business Topics
  Various health and safety resource publications for small businesses from the Centers for Disease Control's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

General Workplace Health Safety Information

• Safety and Health in the Workplace
  Provides an overview of the three U.S. labor laws protecting the safety and health of workers in America: The OSH Act; the Mine Safety and Health Act; and the child labor laws under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

• National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH)
  Provides research and recommendations on workplace health and safety.

OSHA Tools and Resources

• OSHA Compliance Assistance Guide
  Provides a user-friendly web portal to help members of the regulated community understand and comply with the OSH Act.

• OSHA Fact Sheets
  Contains fact sheets with basic information on a variety of safety and health topics.

• OSHA Frequent Asked Questions
  Lists OSHA answers to frequently asked questions.

• OSHA Safety and Health Guides
  Offers a gateway to specific compliance information on various safety and health issues (for example, ergonomics, hazard communication, bloodborne pathogens, asbestos and workplace violence).

• Site Specific Health and Safety Plan : Hazardous Waste
  Features an Interactive Expert Hazard Awareness Advisor. This computer software helps employers (especially, small businesses) identify and understand common occupational safety and health hazard risks in their hazardous waste workplace(s).

Whistleblower Protection

• OSHA Whistleblower Program
  Provides information on rights for employees and representatives of employees under the whistleblower program.

• Whistleblower and Non-Retaliation Protections
  Outlines laws protecting workers against retaliation for complaining to their employers, unions or government agencies about unsafe or unhealthful conditions in the workplace.