Workplace Health and Safety

All people have the right to work in a safe and healthy environment. By understanding basic workplace health and safety, you’ll be able to recognize and protect yourself and others from workplace hazards. When things do go wrong, the articles you will find here on this Health And The Law site will help you solve the problems and get what you rightfully have coming to you in the way of compensation and assistance from your employer.

Your employer has a legal responsibility to provide you with a safe working environment. This means that, at all times, your employer must protect the health and safety of all employees. The articles you will find here at this Health And The Law site will help you make sure they hold up their end of the bargain.

The law upon which this requirement is based is called the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Basically, what this 1970 law states is that all employers must provide their employees, “a place of employment that is free from recognized hazards that cause or are likely to cause death of serious physical harm.”

As such, your employer must have in place:

  • A written workplace health and safety plan.
  • Employee training on health and safety.
  • Formal procedures to investigate and document accidents and injuries.

You, as an employee, also have certain responsibilities for workplace health and safety. As an employee, you must:

  • Comply with your employer’s health and safety plans, policies and procedures.
  • Report suspected hazards in the workplace.
  • Report all accidents and/or injuries.

Protecting people at work is in everyone’s best interest. Health and safety rules benefit employers by keeping down costs related to work related injuries. Employees benefit from health and safety rules when their lives, their families and their pay checks are not compromised because of a work related injury. Sometimes an employer will, either through neglect or outright fraud, attempt to skirt this expensive responsibility. When that happens the articles and other resources you will find here at Health And The Law will help you get what you deserve.

Workplace health and safety is everybody’s business and by working together, employers and employees can improve and strengthen the health and safety of all individuals.