Not all industries are required to conduct regular safety meetings. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) promulgated a law in 1970 to ensure that everyone has a safe workplace. It sets forth:
a) Each employer –
- Shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;
- Shall comply will occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this chapter.
b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this chapter which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.
29 U.S. Code §654- Duties of Employers and Employees.
The industries in which there is a high degree of inherent danger, safety regulations are held to a stricter standard. Since employees act as agents of their employers, it is in the best interest of the employer to ensure safe operation and practices are used in the workplace. OSHA sets forth rules about types of clothing and protective wear that must be worn in certain circumstances. They set the standards for safe distances from chemicals and machinery. They have a list of safety signs and warnings that must be present at a worksite.
It is usually the owner of the company, foreman of a project, or manager that is put in the role that oversees that these things are complied with. The easiest way to ensure compliance is to make sure that the safety rules and regulations of their company match those of OSHA. OSHA says in their “Voluntary Training Guidelines” that the “Guidelines provide employers with a model for designing, conducting, evaluating, and revising training programs… [while] assisting employers in their efforts to meet the training requirements in current or future occupational safety and health standards.”
Holding regular safety meetings helps make sure that employees know changes in regulations, requirements and standards. Safety rules and/or safety policies are not an effective means of preventing or minimizing accidents unless they are communicated to the workers in an effective manner and are enforced in a consistent manner by management and/or supervisory personnel.
Safety should be of the upmost importance to employers. It is only through diligence, detail, continuance, and observance that a workplace can maintain a high level of safety. Safety meetings can do a number of things to ensure a safe workplace. It can remind seasoned workers of rules that can get lost in their daily procedures. They can show new employees the dangers that older employees and management are aware of and have learned to avoid. They can update all personnel on new and updated regulations that are applicable to them. It keeps safety on the front line of the minds of everyone involved.
Just because an employer doesn’t hold regular safety meetings, it does not absolve them of potentially being liable if something happens causing an injury or death that could have been avoided. There are certain OSHA regulations that require employers to keep a safe environment for their employees and that includes keeping them abreast on safety rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
Written by:
Lyndsey Mott
Approved by Francisco Guerra IV
Watts Guerra LLP
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 3, Suite 100
San Antonio, Texas 78257
Phone (210) 447-0500
© Watts Guerra LLP 2015
