State and municipalities are not required to follow the standards of The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1970, but the Department of Labor provides them the option to comply with the OSHA. “ Most states have chosen the option of designating a state agency to administer the plan. If this second option is chosen, the state must develop standards at least as effective as those promulgated by OSHA under federal regulation.” (Klingner, 2003). State and municipalities are required to create reports and provide them to the …show more content…
The risk assessment for exposure should be broken down into four (4) categories. These categories are; hazardous agents, physical hazards, ergonomic hazards, and psychological hazards. There is an enormous amount of hazardous agents that an employee can be exposed to in the workplace. These can be from everyday cleaners, disinfectants, biological agents, compounds, antibiotics, hormones, and harmful discarded. There are several physical hazards that employee can be exposed to in to workplace. The most common physical hazards are; injuries, sound, extreme temperatures, equipment injuries, contamination, violence, and slips and falls. The ergonomic hazards that an employee can be exposed to in the workplace are; back strains or injuries from lifting or standing for long periods of time, and eyestrains or eye damage due to poor lighting. There is a broad range of psychological hazards that employee can be exposed to in the workplace. These can range from tediousness, favoritism, advancing technological, rotating shifts, and other confrontational working conditions. “Management systems and programs can provide an effective safety framework; however, it ultimately is the worker’s perception of the value of safety to himself and the importance of safety to the organization that governs safety performance.” …show more content…
When an employee preforms the same repeated motion he or she can develop a repetitive strain injuries, to prevent this from happening an employers should rotate what job duties each employee preforms for a long period of time. “Employers can provide job rotation, rest breaks, lifting support, and ergonomically correct tools. Employees can stretch, minimize reach, use safety equipment, and promote positive lifestyle changes.” (Klingner, 2003). Reward programs for occupational safety have proven to over the past twenty (20) years that feedback and incentive programs are increasing the effective of workplace safety. These programs are becoming more and more incorporated into every workplace around the world. “It is important to reward not only employees for safe work habits by also their supervisors for recognizing, evaluating, and controlling occupational health and safety hazards.” (Klingner,