Protecting Yourself from Unsafe Working Conditions

As the law requires, all employers must provide a safe working environment for their employees. If the working conditions are not safe, an employee can report these conditions to the employer, state, or federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The worker may also boycott work until the issue in concern is resolved. The following are guidelines that may help you deal with dangerous working place.

Work Safety

Workplace accidents can be minimized by being responsible, particularly by avoiding activities that may put you or your colleagues in danger. Below are steps that can help in enhancing workplace safety.

• Recognizing the hazard
• Personally resolve the problem if possible
• If you cannot correct it, protect other people and report the problem
• Ensure the problem has been corrected by following up to the procedure

The Procedure

It all starts by identifying an unsafe condition, and then immediately inform a competent supervisor or manager to inspect it. If the problem cannot be corrected at the moment, the affected area should be isolated. It is wise to report the problem to the Safety Department. In case the problem is caused by defective equipment, the item should be removed from service and all energy sources isolated. The equipment should not be returned to service until the issue is corrected. This should be confirmed by a thorough safety inspection on both the equipment and work areas.

Working Conditions

When it comes to health and safety in the job sites, issues arise more often than not. Working environment differs depending on the industry you are working for as well as the type of your job. Below are some of the things you need to put into consideration when looking for the right working conditions:

Clean Environment

Nobody wants to work in an unclean environment. However, there are jobs that involve dirt such as landscaping and construction but the majority of other jobs, maintaining a clean working environment should be of utmost important. You should be on the lookout for things like mold, loose wires, and fluids on the floor or anything else that might threaten your safety.

Outdoor Weather Conditions

If your job revolves around outdoor work, you should be wary of the weather conditions since they can greatly impact your health. For instance, working in extreme cold weather could trigger hypothermia or frostbite while too much heat could cause stroke. Being aware of these two conditions can be a great way of protecting yourself.

Mechanical Responsibility

It can be very dangerous if responsible safety precautions are not taken especially when working with heavy machinery. You can ensure safety when working with such machinery through having a regular maintenance on your equipment and wearing proper work gear. You are also required to have proper training on how to operate the equipment. If you have any concerns about the machinery, you should talk to the responsible parties.

Respect and Boundaries

Everybody wants to work in a physically and emotionally conducive environment where they don't feel threatened or harassed. Unfortunately, bullying and harassment is still a major issue in workplaces. Sometimes, an offside comment or a joke can be considered as harassment. If you feel uncomfortable at work, talk to the person since sometimes they may not realize they crossed boundaries and caused offense. If this does not resolve the issue, record some incidences and take the recordings to a responsible party. If the issues still persist you should look into legal assistance says attorney Robert May.

Occupational Safety and Health Act

This is a state or federal statute that provides guidelines that require all employers to provide and maintain a workplace that safe. This means that the work environment does not cause injury, death, or illness to any worker. OSHA guidelines apply to both private and public employers. This includes employers who do interstate businesses, which include doing communicating through postal codes or telephone. The main responsibility of OSHA is to protect all employees from injuries, illness caused by unsafe job conditions as well as recognizing work hazards that may trigger them. To do this, employees must provide the conducive working environment, provide an OSHA notice in the workplace, keep a list of all deaths, hazardous items as well as provide safety training.

If you are dealing with hazardous work conditions, or have sustained injuries, or illness caused by such, you can benefit from legal assistance. OSHA could help ensure that these conditions are rectified. Be vigilant and correct or report any work hazard to ensure the safety of your employees.