What Is OSHA and Why Is It Important to Your Business

REGULATORY UPDATE
Working Together. Evolving Together.

OSHA | REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

Understanding OSHA’s Role, Employer Responsibilities, and Shared Commitment to a Safer Workplace

What OSHA Does

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) administers and enforces the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Its mission is to help ensure safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards, protecting workers from unlawful retaliation, and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. OSHA-approved State Plans operate in many jurisdictions and must be at least as effective as Federal OSHA.

What It Means for Your Business

For covered employers, OSHA compliance is part of the broader responsibility to provide a workplace free from recognized serious hazards and to comply with applicable safety and health standards. The practical goal is larger than compliance alone: clear expectations, effective training, consistent procedures, and attention to hazards can help protect team members and strengthen day-to-day operations.

What to Consider

• Do leadership and supervisors understand which OSHA standards apply to the operation?
• Are required written programs, training, records, and postings current and being implemented in practice?
• Do team members know how to report hazards, injuries, and safety concerns?
• Would the organization know what to do if OSHA arrived at the facility tomorrow?

Employer Responsibilities

The OSH Act requires employers to provide employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm, and to comply with applicable OSHA standards.

• Maintain safe tools, equipment, and appropriate personal protective equipment where required.
• Provide required safety and health training and communicate workplace procedures clearly.
• Maintain OSHA injury and illness records when the establishment is subject to Part 1904 recordkeeping requirements.
• Post the OSHA workplace poster and other required notices or summaries.
• Report qualifying work-related fatalities and severe injuries to OSHA within the required timeframes.

Team Member Rights and Responsibilities

Safety is a shared responsibility. Team members are expected to follow applicable safety and health standards and workplace rules that apply to their own actions and conduct. They also have important rights under the OSH Act.

• Receive information and training about workplace hazards and applicable protections.
• Raise safety or health concerns and request an OSHA inspection when appropriate.
• Review certain injury and illness records and receive access to information required by OSHA.
• Exercise OSHA rights without unlawful retaliation.

Important Reporting & Recordkeeping Dates

Next Steps

A strong OSHA compliance program is built before an inspection, injury, or regulatory question occurs. Leadership can use this overview as a starting point to confirm that the organization understands its obligations and that written requirements are reflected in everyday practice.

• Identify the OSHA standards that apply to your operations and confirm who is responsible for each area.
• Review written safety programs, required training, OSHA recordkeeping, and posting responsibilities on a regular schedule.
• Make sure supervisors understand how to respond to injuries, team member concerns, and an OSHA inspection.
• Use workplace observations, injury trends, near misses, and team member feedback to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Use OSHA’s compliance assistance resources and, when needed, appropriate legal or safety professionals for additional guidance.

The Holt Group Perspective

Compliance Is the Starting Point, Not the Finish Line

The strongest safety programs connect OSHA requirements to daily operations, leadership expectations, training, communication, and continuous improvement. When those pieces work together, compliance becomes part of a larger system for protecting team members and strengthening the business.

COMPLIANCE | RISK PREVENTION | RISK FINANCE | COMMUNICATION

Protect Team Members. Control Risk. Control the Cost of Risk.
THE HOLT GROUP LLC | www.theholtgroupllc.com

This Regulatory Update is not intended to be exhaustive, nor should any discussion or opinions be construed as legal advice. Readers should contact legal counsel for appropriate advice. © Zywave, Inc., The Holt Group LLC All rights reserved. All images are from Google Images and Story Blocks. Revised 2027