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OSHA Essay

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OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was created with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 by Congress. The purpose of OSHA was to ensure that workers would have a safe work environment. This has been done by creating and enforcing safety laws and providing adequate training and education for the workers. It is important for an agency, like OSHA, to oversee these safety guidelines because it creates a standard for safety and health across all workplaces. OSHA requires employers (with more than 10 employees) to keep records of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities among their workers (other employers may also be required to keep records if requested by OSHA, the Bureau of Labour Statistics, or other state health …show more content…

In the healthcare field, there are many hazards that each and every worker face every day. Some of the hazards these workers face are biological hazards (blood, viruses, etc.), drug exposures, respiratory hazards (airborne biological hazards, gases, fumes, etc.), and exposure to lasers or x-rays. Due to this wide array of hazards, the medical field is one of the most “dangerous” places to work. In 2010 alone, there were nearly 694,000 reported cases of injuries and illnesses among workers, 150,000 cases more than the manufacturing sector, which is the next most dangerous field of work. And, it isn’t just the medical staff that are at risk. The civilian workers such as the maintenance crews, the janitors, the administration staff, and others also have the same risks. Any injury or illness caused by a medical accident could have a major impact on the misfortunate individual that it happens to, and their family, friends, and the medical facility it happens in (a serious injury could cause major financial loss and a loss of reputation of the medical facility in which it occurred). Safety is also important because when the employees know that they are protected by a set standard, they will stay with their business or medical facility, and they will provide better care for their patients because the workplace will be clear and everything has a certain place that it should

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