Occupational Safety and Health Act - Assignment Example

The occupational safety and health act was initiated in 1970 (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010). This was an effort to ensure safety in work places. This was to ensure employees and workers in different work stations are safe in their line of duty. Under the act the employer is responsible for the safety of any work station. This means that failure to comply by the act one is deemed to have violated the rules and is liable for punishment stipulated in the act. The act state five main violations which are classified as willful, serious, repeated and Other-than-Serious, this violations are punishable in different manner and it is the duty of the regulator to ensure certain standards are achieved and recommend on instances where the laws are violated (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010). As much as the laws were enacted to protect workers there is need to focus on the views of the employers. The private sectors argument on the bureaucracy surrounding the OSH act is unjustified.
There is need to focus on the need for regulation. Regulations in any industry are meant to set standards to be attained by players within the industry. The regulations under the act are responsible for the current rights and freedom enjoyed by the workers within a given industry. The regulator in any case should a neutral in order to ensure a fair platform where those offended or affected can seek justice. In this case failures by the employers to regulate themselves have invited the government under the OSHA to set standards to be followed by the employers (Fleming, 2001). The laws are aimed to ensure a safe working space.
The employees should be secure in their respective work station. The ancient practice by the employees has been the thing of the past. The number of deaths and work related injuries has reduced drastically (Fleming, 2001). The push for the occupational safety and Health act was triggered by the working conditions under which the employees were subjected to. The pre-OSHA era was characterized by employers who were interested in profit making rather than workers safety.
The private sector failures to ensure safety amongst its work spaces prompted the initialization of the OSHA act. The argument should be on what alternatives the private employers have to ensure the workers are safe. The lack of alternative measures indicates how action by the private employers triggered the act being signed in 1970 (Fleming, 2001). The hefty fines under the act are measures to ensure the rules are followed adequately. The increased safety among working spaces are an indication that the regulations are in no means an effort by government to exploit employers. The rules aim at ensuring safety while increasing effectiveness.
In conclusion, it is evident that failures by the employers to ensure safety prompted the enacting of the Occupational Safety and Health act. The rights and safety of workers should be the responsibility of the employers hence a regulator should be in place to ensure certain standards are met. Safety is a collective responsibility thus if the employers fails to ensure safety, the government under the OSHA act should protect the employee.
References
Fleming, S.H. (2001). OSHA at 30: Three Decades of Progress in Occupational Safety and Health. Job Safety & Health Quarterly Magazine, 12 (3): pp 23-32
U.S. Department of Labor. (2010). Federal Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following an OSHA Inspection-1996. OSHA. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/Publications/fedrites.html Read More