Occupational Safety and Health

Participants taking this webinar will learn how occupational safety and health is regulated and accomplished in the US. Additionally, there will be a brief review of issues expected to dominate the field of workplace safety and health in the near future.

Topics covered include the OSHAct, OSHA inspections, how new OSHA regulations are promulgated, OSHA directives and interpretations of standards, as well as the other political players in the regulatory process such as: Federal interagency agreements, workplace safety and health legislation in Congress, Executive Orders of the President, Supreme Court actions and legal challenges to regulations, professional and trade associations, along with influences of the world marketplace and free trade.

Categories of workplace hazards are reviewed to show where regulations exist and what industries are covered, compared with the absence of regulation for many types of hazards.

Topics Covered:

• Historical issues, current statistics, and costs
  Exercise: Safety and health regulations – who is covered and how?
• OSHAct of 1970
• OSHA regulations, directives, policies, inspections and citations
• Workplace hazard categories: regulations, recommendations, and critical issues
• Other players, powers, and influences
  -- Executive Branch
  --- Federal interagency agreements
  --- Presidential Executive Orders
  --- Executive Branch actions
  -- Legislation
  --- Congress
  --- State and local legislation
  -- U.S. Supreme Court and other courts
  -- Interactions with non-governmental organizations, professional and trade associations
  Exercise: Health and safety problems may involve overlapping regulations and requirements
• International pressures, trends, and influences

Instructor

Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, is the Director of Workplace Health and Safety Programs for Cornell ILR. A Certified Industrial Hygienist, Diplomat of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, biologist and chemist, Nellie provides on-site training and technical assistance services in a wide range of occupational safety and health matters including workplace exposure to chemicals, biological agents, ergonomics, confined space entry, occupational stress, shift-work and long hours of work, crisis and violence prevention, hazard analysis techniques, training techniques, and indoor air quality for employers, labor unions, and the public.