Environmental Health and Safety

Workplace Safety and Health 1

Running Head : WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH

Occupational Safety and Health in the United States

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page

Title Page 1

Table of Contents 2

Abstract 3

I . Occupational Safety and Health in the United States 4

U .S . Occupational Safety and Health Administration 4

Workplace Safety 37 Years after the Implementation of OSHA 7

OSHA 's Accomplishments 7

OSHA Has a Long Way to Go 9

Where did OSHA Go Wrong ? 13

The Future for OSHA 17

II

. Risk Assessment in the Workplace 20

Basic Elements of the Risk Assessment Process 20

How to Perform a Risk Assessment 21

III . Conclusive Summary 24

References 27 Workplace Safety and Health 3

Abstract

This consists of two parts . The first one discusses occupational safety and health in the United States , focusing on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA . Since 1971 , OSHA has been tasked to establish controls on workplace safety to ensure a safe working environment for workers in North America . Although in general workplace injuries have been on a decline after the creation of OSHA more specific figures like injury rates for foreign-born workers in the United States are increasing at an alarming rate . OSHA apparently measures its success based on general and national data , yet overlooks data from the states and specific industries . The latter indicates that OSHA still has a long way to go in achieving the goals that it has set upon its creation . Many critics offered their suggestions on how OSHA can improve its current performance perhaps the best one , although admittedly quite difficult , involves a reform in the political arena itself . Political resistance to safety and health regulations is so strong that it is indeed a grueling task for OSHA to make any law reforms . Political change , therefore , should precede any policy change .The second part of this discusses risk assessment relative to the workplace . Any worksite safety and health plan should include a risk management program . An essential part of the program is risk assessment , wherein hazards in the workplace are identified and preventive measures are implemented . Because any workplace is dynamic new hazards may be introduced and situations or equipment that are previously considered hazards cease to be one . Because of this , it is vital that a risk assessment should be regularly reviewed so that new measures , if needed , can be immediately put in place

Workplace Safety and Health 4

I . Occupational Safety and Health in the United States

In the early days of the Industrial Revolution , there were no regulations to protect workers ' safety . As a result , deaths and injuries were considered part of the industrial process (Veasey , et . al 2002 . Workplace laws during those days were adopted from Britain and placed the heavy responsibility of preventing injuries on the part of the workers . Employers are even allowed to blame their workers for accidents . Safety conditions began to improve in the advent of technological and human progress where financial liability for accidents was...