You are required by law to provide your employees with a safe environment to work in. There are various laws that cover health and safety, specifically the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). It is important that all business owners are compliant to avoid litigation and possible fines and jail time among other ramifications. This can often be a complex subject which is the reason why it may be worth hiring a HSE Safety Consultant as they are well versed in all aspects surrounding health and safety and compliance. There is however some of the basics that you may need to know on the subject.

One of the often confusing areas where health and safety is concerned is whether to follow state or federal laws. Once the OSHA federal law was passed, it surpassed the existing state laws concerning health and safety. The sates then had a choice to hand in a plan to the Secretary of Labor to be approved. With approval therefore, the state law stands. In this case therefore, employers will need to follow standards, regulations and laws concerning health and safety that are stipulated by the state rather than the federal law. Some of the states where this applies include Tennessee, Hawaii, California, Michigan, Minnesota and Arizona among others. HSE Safety Training would also be done according to the state laws in such a case.

It is also important that you understand who the health and safety laws cover. These laws must be followed by every employee without consideration to their classification, title or status. In this case therefore, the health and safety laws will cover stockholders, supervisors, managers, rank-and-files employees, officers and partners. It is also important to keep in mind that any family members that work as part of your staff are also covered under the health and safety laws. Hiring a HSE Safety Company for training will also therefore cover all these employees.

Finally, there are the basic safety rules that apply across the board to all kinds of businesses. One such rule stipulates that the employer is responsible for providing a work environment that is devoid of any hazards. These are referred to as recognized hazards that the employer should know about and that are likely to cause illness, physical injury or even death. You may also need to consider specialized health and safety training especially where Industrial HSE Safety Training and other specialized types of training are concerned.