Employer's Obligation to Control Hazards
OSHA standards require employers to protect workers from covered hazards. The OSH Act's General Duty Clause also requires employers to keep the workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
Hazards describe the surface causes (conditions) for accidents in the workplace. The employer must also develop effective safety management systems that address the underlying root causes of accidents.
For example, employees performing sanding operations may be exposed to the hazard of fire caused by sparking in the presence of magnesium dust. Conducting additional training might be one way management will try and fulfill their obligation to abate hazards.
However, the "hazard" is the exposure to the potential of fire; it is not the lack of training and supervision. Do not confuse removing surface causes (unique hazards and exposures) with the underlying root causes (safety management system failures) contributing to the hazards and exposures.
An effective safety and health program controls hazardous conditions and exposures while also addressing the underlying management-system weaknesses that allowed them to develop.
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1-3. How can an employer effectively control workplace hazards and exposures?
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