Q &

A

Q’s & A’s for Small A’s for Small A’s for Small

Business Employers Business Employers Business Employers
Why is safety and

health important

for a small business

owner like me?

How can I reduce

employee injuries

and illnesses?

How do I develop

this program?

What do you mean

by management

leadership and

employee

participation?

Establishing a safe and healthful working

environment requires every employer—large

and small—and every worker to make safety

and health a top priority. The entire work

force—from the CEO to the most recent

hire—must recognize that worker safety

and health is central to the mission and key

to the profitability of the American company.

OSHA’s job is to provide leadership and

encouragement to workers and employers

to take that responsibility seriously. We

continue to help employers and employees

focus on reducing injuries, illnesses, and

fatalities and to increase their commitment

to improved safety and health.

OSHA can help small businesses and

others through a variety of tools, including

partnership, consultation, compliance

assistance, education and training, outreach,

and plain language regulations.

Safety is good business. An

effective safety and health

program can save $4 to $6 for

every $1 invested. It’s the right

thing to do, and doing it right

pays off in lower costs, increased productivity, and higher

employee morale.

As an employer, you have a duty to protect your workers

from injury and illness on the job. Protecting workers

also makes good business sense. Accidents and injuries

are more expensive than many realize. Costs mount up

quickly. But substantial savings in workers’ compensation and lost workdays are possible when injuries and

illnesses decline. The Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) can help you.

Compliance with OSHA rules

is essential. Compliance along

with an effective voluntary

safety and health program can

help reduce your costs and

injuries and illnesses. An organized, carefully crafted

plan that systematically focuses on workplace hazards

and employee training is critical. Buy-in from every

manager and employee is essential. Everyone has to

work at safety and health.

Each safety and health program

should be tailored to fit the

company, to blend with its

unique operations and culture,

and to help employers maintain a system that continually addresses workplace hazards. There are five

elements that every effective program should have:

management leadership and employee participation,

workplace analysis, hazard prevention and control,

safety and health training and education, and program

evaluation.

Employers and employees work

together to make safety and

health a priority. Employer and

employee involvement and

communication on workplace

safety and health issues are

essential. For example, this partnership can be

achieved when you

• Post the company’s written safety and health policy

for all to see

• Involve employees in policymaking on safety and

health issues

• Take an active part in safety activities

• Hold meetings that focus on employee safety and

health

• Abide by all safety and health rules

• Show your commitment by investing time, effort,

and money in your safety and health program.
What’s a worksite

analysis and how

often do I have

to do it?

After I identify

hazards at my

worksite, how can I

prevent or control

them?

What is SBREFA?

In 1996, the Congress passed the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, or SBREFA, to help

small businesses. Under SBREFA, OSHA must

• Produce Small Entity Compliance Guides for OSHA rules with a significant impact on a substantial number

of small businesses

• Be responsive to small business inquiries about compliance with regulations

• Submit final rules to the Congress for review

• Have a penalty reduction policy for small businesses

• Involve small businesses in the development of some proposed rules through Small Business Advocacy

Review Panels.

In addition, SBREFA also gives small businesses expanded authority to recover attorneys’ fees and costs when

a federal agency has been found to be excessive in enforcing federal regulations. The legislation also establishes 10 Small Business Regulatory Fairness Boards to receive comments from small businesses about federal

compliance and enforcement activities and report these findings annually to the Congress.

Note: If you are a small business, you may participate in the regulatory process and comment on OSHA enforcement

actions by calling the Small Business Ombudsman at 1-888-REG-FAIR.

A worksite analysis means

that you and your employees

analyze all worksite conditions

to identify and eliminate

existing or potential hazards.

This should be done on a regular and timely basis.

There should be a current hazard analysis for all jobs

and processes that all employees know and understand. To do this, it is helpful to

• Request a free OSHA Consultation visit

• Become aware of hazards in your industry

• Create safety teams

• Encourage employees to report workplace hazards

• Examine history of worksite conditions

• Have an adequate system for reporting hazards

• Have trained personnel conduct inspections of the

worksite and correct hazards

• Ensure that any changes in process or new high-hazard

facilities are reviewed by a competent person

• Seek assistance from safety and health experts.

(See also OSHA publication 3071 – Job Hazard Analysis

for steps in identifying and protecting against workplace

hazards.)

The next part of a good

safety and health program is

your continual review of your

work environment and work

practices to control or

prevent workplace hazards.

This can be done when you

• Regularly and thoroughly maintain equipment

• Ensure that hazard correction procedures are in

place

• Ensure that employees know how to use and maintain personal protective equipment

• Ensure that all employees understand and follow safe

work procedures

• Make sure that, where necessary, you have a medical

program tailored to your facility to help prevent

workplace hazards and exposures.
What else can I do

to minimize

potential accidents

and injuries?

What is the OSHA

Consultation visit

you mentioned?

Can I get other

help from OSHA?

It is important that everyone

in the workplace be properly

trained, from the floor worker

to the supervisors, managers,

contractors, and part-time

and temporary employees.

This can be done when you

• Allow only properly authorized and instructed employees to do any job

• Make sure no employees do any job that appears unsafe

• Hold emergency preparedness drills for employees

• Pay particular attention to employees learning new

operations to make sure they have the proper job skills

and awareness of hazards

• Train supervisors and managers to recognize hazards

and understand their responsibilities

• Encourage all employees to report any hazardous conditions to their supervisors.

OSHA operates various

voluntary compliance

programs to assist small

employers. The OSHA

Consultation Service helps

employers find out about potential hazards and how to

improve their occupational safety and health management. A visit from OSHA consultation is always at the

employer’s request. The service offers workplace

safety and health training and technical assistance.

Consultation is a free service largely funded by

OSHA and operated by state government agencies

using well-trained safety and health staff. This service is completely separate from OSHA’s inspection

effort; no citations are issued or penalties proposed.

An employer’s only obligation is to correct serious

hazards that the consultant finds.

The visit begins with an opening conference between

the consultant and the employer followed by a

walkaround of the worksite. For more information on

consultation services, contact your nearest OSHA

office listed at the end of this publication or visit

OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.

OSHA also provides other

services and assistance

to help small businesses.

These include the following:

• Third-Party Training and Education—OSHA

gives training and education grants to various

non-profit groups to develop programs to help

small businesses establish safety and health

programs. Grantees develop training programs

and materials that they make available to small

businesses. For more information on grants,

see the Index at www.osha.gov.

• Mentoring—OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs

(VPP) recognize worksites where employers and

employees work together to achieve safety and

health excellence. Small firms can be matched

with and mentored by a VPP site that will share

its safety and health experience and expertise.

For more information on VPP, contact your VPP

coordinator in your nearest OSHA regional office.

• Safety and Health Achievement Recognition

Program (SHARP)—Part of the Consultation

Program, SHARP also recognizes exemplary

employers who take special pride in providing a

safe and healthful work environment for their

employees and who meet specific program criteria.

Employers who qualify receive a 1-year exemption

from OSHA’s general schedule inspections.

• Training and Education—OSHA’s Training Institute

in Des Plaines, IL, and OSHA’s Training Education

Centers across the country provide basic and

advanced courses in safety and health. OSHA’s

area offices offer information services, such as

audiovisual aids, technical advice, and speakers for

special engagements. For more information, contact

the Institute at 1555 Times Drive, Des Plaines, IL

60018, (847) 297-4810, or fax (847) 297-4874. A

list of courses also can be found under Outreach

at www.osha.gov. Note, in particular, OSHA’s

computer-based training software—Expert Advisors—on topics such as hazard communication,

asbestos, cadmium, confined spaces, fire safety,
Small Business Development Centers

OSHA is working closely with the U.S. Small

Business Administration’s (SBA) Small Business Development Centers program to provide

information on OSHA and its many programs

available to small business owners. There is at

least one center in every state—a total of 1,000

nationwide—that provides services to small

businesses. For a center near you, visit SBA’s

website at www.sba.gov.

lead in construction, and more! See the Index on

OSHA’s home page for this and other information.

• State Plans—Twenty-four states and two territories

operate their own federally approved occupational

safety and health programs. These entities conduct

most OSHA enforcement through their own standards, which are at least as effective as Federal

OSHA’s, but may have different or additional

requirements. Many states offer additional programs

of assistance to small businesses. For more information on state plans, see the list of plans at the end

of this brochure or visit OSHA’s website at

www.osha.gov.

• Electronic Information/Internet—OSHA standards,

interpretations, directives, interactive software,

compliance assistance materials, e-Tools, and

additional information are available or can be

ordered online at www.osha.gov. See also, OSHA’s

online small business page.

• CD-ROM—Directives, standards, interpretations,

and other materials on CD. Available from the U.S.

Government Printing Office, Superintendent of

Documents, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA

15250-7954 or at (202) 512-1800. Specify OSHA

Regulations, Documents, and Technical Information

on CD-ROM, (ORDT), Order No. S/N729-013-

00000-5; $45 per year and $21 per single copy.

Issued quarterly.

• Publications—OSHA has many published materials,

including specific topics for small businesses, that

are available or can be ordered online at www.osha.gov.

Publications lists and single copies of various OSHA

materials can be obtained by sending a self-addressed

label to the OSHA Publications Office, 200 Constitution

Avenue, N.W., Room N-3101, Washington, DC 20210, or

by calling (202) 693-1888.

Of particular interest may be publications in OSHA’s Small

Business Safety and Health Management Series, which along

with other materials, are available online at OSHA’s website

at www.osha.gov. They include, for example, Assessing the

Need for Personal Protective Equipment: A Guide for Small

Business Employers (OSHA 3151); Safeguarding Equipment

and Protecting Workers from Amputations (OSHA 3170); and

A Guide to Scaffold Use in the Construction Industry (3150).

These booklets also are sold by the Superintendent

of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, phone

(202) 512-1800; fax (202) 512-2250, and can be ordered

online through GPO’s website at www.gpo.gov.

OSHA regulations are contained in Title 29 of the Code

of Federal Regulations, Parts 1904 (Recordkeeping),

1910 (General Industry), 1915 through 1925 (Maritime),

1926 (Construction), and 1928 (Agriculture). All OSHA

regulations are available or can be ordered online at

www.osha.gov. Printed copies of OSHA regulations are

sold by the Government Printing Office and can be

ordered online as indicated above.

• Small Business Liaison—OSHA’s liaison is available

to answer questions on small business issues at

(202) 693-2213 or visit OSHA’s small business page.

See Small Business under the Index on OSHA’s website

at www.osha.gov. See also the OSHA Regional Office list

elsewhere in this publication.

• Emergencies—For life-threatening situations only, call

(800) 321-OSHA. Complaints will go immediately to the

nearest OSHA area or state office for help.
OSHA Regional Offices

(OSHA has small business liaisons available in each of its regions to assist you.)

OSHA 3163

2002 (Revised)

* These states and territories operate their own OSHA-approved job safety and health programs

(Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York plans cover public employees only). States with approved

programs must have a standard that is identical to, or at least as effective as, the federal standard.

Region VI

(AR, LA, NM,* OK, TX)

525 Griffin Street, Room 602

Dallas, TX 75202

Telephone: (214) 767-4731

Region VII

(IA,* KS, MO, NE)

City Center Square

1100 Main Street, Suite 800

Kansas City, MO 64105

Telephone: (816) 426-5861

Region VIII

(CO, MT, ND, SD, UT,* WY*)

1999 Broadway, Suite 1690

Denver, CO 80201-6550

Telephone: (303) 844-1600

Region IX

(American Samoa, AZ,* CA,* Guam, HI,*

 NV,* Trust Territories of the Pacific)

71 Stevenson Street, Suite 420

San Francisco, CA 94105

Telephone: (415) 975-4310

Region X

(AK,* ID, OR,* WA*)

1111 Third Avenue, Suite 715

Seattle, WA 98101-3212

Telephone: (206) 553-5930

Region I

(CT,* MA, ME, NH, RI, VT*)

JKF Federal Building, Room E-340

Boston, MA 02203

Telephone: (617) 565-9860

Region II

(NJ,* NY,* PR,* VI*)

201 Varick Street, Room 670

New York, NY 10014

Telephone: (212) 337-2357

Region III

(DC, DE, MD,* PA, VA,* WV)

The Curtis Center, Suite 740 West

170 S. Independence Mall West

Philadelphia, PA 19106-3309

Telephone: (215) 861-4900

Region IV

(AL, FL, GA, KY,* MS, NC,* SC,* TN*)

Sam Nun Atlanta Federal Center

61 Forsyth Street, SW, Room 6T50

Atlanta, GA 30303

Telephone: (404) 562-2300

Region V

(IL, IN,* MI,* MN,* OH, WI)

230 South Dearborn Street

Room 3244

Chicago, IL 60604

Telephone: (312) 353-2220