OSHA Standards You Need to Know for Your Facility
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more commonly known as , is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that helps ensure safe, healthy conditions for workers. At Jesco Industries, we not only work hard to meet OSHA standards for the safety of our employees, but we also strive to make products that will allow other facilities to meet OSHA standards and protect their workers.
We’ve gathered some basic standards from OSHA below so you can make sure you’re complying with requirements for workplace safety for your facility. Please keep in mind that every workplace is different, and there may be more specific OSHA requirements for your workplace than what’s listed below. For more information, be sure to visit OSHA’s website.
1. Hazard Communication
Does your business handle hazardous materials? Maybe you don’t work directly with hazards, but your manufacturing process results in hazardous waste, or you work in the vicinity of hazardous materials that cannot be moved.
OSHA requires employers and employees to be aware of hazardous chemicals in the workplace, as well as how to protect themselves. Most employers must have a written plan for how they will communicate these hazards to their workforce.
Hazard communication goes beyond a simple verbal warning to employees to be careful. It can and should incorporate , such as:
- Written lists of hazardous chemicals present in the workplace
- Labels for containers of hazardous materials
- Safety data sheets for employers and employees
- Employee training programs for best safety practices
At Jesco, one form of visual communication we implement is color. We offer colors such as OSHA Blue and Safety Yellow so our products stand out on factory floors, ensuring that employees pay close attention in hazardous areas so they stay safe.
2. Emergency Action Plan
Are there potential emergency scenarios that are specific to your industry, such as a malfunctioning piece of machinery causing an unsafe work environment? What about emergencies specific to your region of the United States, such as tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, or earthquakes? There are also emergencies that can strike anywhere, such as fires or floods.
Employers have a duty to plan for emergencies before they happen. That way, if an emergency occurs, they can follow a plan that is designed to do the best job possible of protecting workers’ safety.
At Jesco, we strive to plan for emergencies in the design of our products. For example, our Jesco® Eezy Stak® machine guarding system comes with full width panic bars to enable easy exit, even in the case of emergency situations.
3. Fire Safety
Fires can break out in any workplace. Most work environments need a fire prevention plan. Depending on your workplace, you may also have a fire evacuation plan and/or fire fighting equipment and training.
Jesco provides many products, such as woven wire mesh partitions, that make it easier to prevent fires or fight fires in certain areas of your facility. Additionally, we can custom manufacture our products to help your company meet fire code requirements. For example, we can manufacture our bulk storage locker doors so they meet fire code egress regulations for your space.
4. Exit Routes
Safe, unobscured exit routes are a key part of any emergency action plan or fire evacuation plan. Exit routes don’t just include the exit doors themselves; they also include through the workplace to get to the exit and get to safety.
Our JescoGard® guardrails and safety rails can help you identify clear paths through your facility so your employees have a safe way to exit in case of emergency.
5. Walking/Working Surfaces
Slips, trips, and falls are some of the greatest threats to workplace safety. Employers have a responsibility to ensure safe walking conditions and to protect against falls for workers on elevated levels.
Our modular safety rails can be easily installed on mezzanines, overhead walkways, or aisle ways. They’re also painted Safety Yellow so they stand out. Additionally, our JescoPalletGard® prevents inventory and equipment from potentially falling off of pallet racks and injuring someone walking below.
6. Medical and First Aid
Finally, OSHA requires employers to provide first aid supplies and/or personnel, depending on the hazards present in a workplace. That way, if an injury does occur, there are systems, supplies, and potentially even medical professionals in place to respond quickly and hopefully prevent extreme harm.
Protect Your Workers With Quality Metal Products
At Jesco, we are committed to providing high-quality, custom manufactured products so your facility can be a safe, productive work environment. Call Jesco Industries today at 1 (800) 455-0019, or contact us online to request a quote.
