OSHA: Have they no limits? - ECN Electrical Forums

Other threads have been discussing OSHA a bit. I'd like to ask:

Does OSHA authority apply to ALL places, ALL employers, ALL the time, without restriction? Or, are there limits?

http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/newbusinesses-factsheet.html

It looks like OSHA affects all employees but record keeping escallates at 11 employees

Well there is one limit John, where an accident happens, not causing serious harm, but is never reported.
What a difference that would make to the accident figures if ALL accidents were required to be reported.
Or even near misses, same thing as an accident isn't it?.

An accident without an injury is an "incident" in OSHAspeak.

OSHA has jurisdiction for industry. If you're a small contractor (<10), or a family owned enterprise you're off their books. But if you're hired for a larger project then then that project--and you--need to be compliant.

OSHA does not cover trucking and highway accidents, that's DOT, where the most job-related fatalities occur. There are state OSHA plans as well, where the Fed'l OSHA is not in force. Military and fed'l sites are still under Fed OSHA in state-plan states, and offshore.

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OSHA has jurisdiction for industry. If you're a small contractor (<10), or a family owned enterprise you're off their books.

Not sure what you mean by 'off their books'

You may not be on the list for a random visit but if you have if you have one employee that employee is covered by OSHA.

That one employee is lawfully entitled to the same level of protection as an employee in a large company.

Here it is straight from OSHA.

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What are your responsibilities as an employer?

Under the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 ( OSH Act), as the employer, you must provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing, or are likely to cause, death or serious physical harm to your employees regardless of the size of your business. You must comply with OSHA standards and regulations under the OSH Act. You must also be familiar with those OSHA standards and regulations that apply to your workplace and make copies of them available to employees upon request.

You can see more if you click the link Greg provided above.

If an accident happens you can bet they will stop by.

[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 08-01-2006).]

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There are state OSHA plans as well, where the Fed'l OSHA is not in force.

Yes there are, however these state programs have to meet or exceed Federal OSHA requirements.

I'm not getting down on small companies here, but why is it that if you have less than 10 employees, you "escape" any OSHA regulations?.
Why the arbitrary figure of 10?.
I've known a few companies here, where the smaller they are, the more dangerous they tend to be, with respect to getting a given job done on time, with less people.