OSHA offers health care compliance assistance module

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on August 7 released a new Health Care Industry Quick Start module (www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/quickstarts/health_care/index_hc.html) for its Compliance Assistance Quick Start (http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/quickstarts/index.html), the agency's Web-based tool that introduces employers and employees, especially those at small businesses, to the free compliance assistance resources on OSHA's Web site.

"This new Compliance Assistance Quick Start module is another example of how OSHA is making valuable information easily accessible to employers and employees so they can build and sustain a safe and healthful work environment," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "It is important that we make every effort to help put educational materials into the hands of stakeholders."

The new Health Care Industry Quick Start module is directed primarily at small employers in the health care field. The module is designed to help users find free resources on the OSHA Web site related to the health care industry.

The module is made up of eight steps including OSHA requirements that apply to many healthcare employers; developing a comprehensive safety and health program; training employees; and record-keeping, reporting and posting requirements.

Compliance Assistance Quick Start provides step-by-step guidance on how to identify OSHA requirements and guidance materials that may apply to specific workplaces. In addition to the new Health Care module, Quick Start includes modules for General Industry, Construction, and Hispanic Outreach.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/.