Does the phrase OSHA violations cause you to shudder in fright? OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, should not be a scary monster – it exists to ensure you and your employees stay safe in the workplace. Slay the monster with some of these low-cost fixes to common violations.
Maintain easily accessible safety
data sheets on all chemicals.
Did you know that your distribution representative has electronic copies of all
safety data sheets for products they sell? Take five minutes to ask them to
email those over, then put the sheet in a folder on every computer’s desktop.
Required Posters
All required posters can be obtained for free from OSHA! Make sure you check what other posters are required in your state and see if those posters are also provided free of charge. You can find the OSHA posters at this link: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/poster.html
Drink Station
At your next employee meeting, ask the staff to decide on a safe location for drinks. It should be convenient but as far away from animal and laboratory areas as possible. Then, purchase some stylish washi paper tape or fun paint and have a teambuilding activity to define the new space.
Secondary Labels
Containers of chemicals that you or your staff refills from the manufacturer’s container must be labelled. Once you have your safety data sheets, it will only take a few minutes to make a label. Consider using waterproof printable labels, a laminated piece of paper, or purchased pre-printed labels specific to your chemicals. It can seem daunting to find and label every bottle of alcohol or jar of scrub, but why not try turning it into a game of scavenger hunt bingo with the staff? Many hands make light work.
Some OSHA fixes are easier, cheaper, and faster than others. If you need to establish or rejuvenate your training and reporting programs, we are here to help. Just get in touch with our human resources gurus to find the right solution for you!
