Workers in Richmond, Kentucky, have the right to workplace health and safety, which were legally defined in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Individuals who believe their working conditions violate OSHA standards have the right to file a complaint with an OSHA office.
Environment, Health and Safety Online offers a useful summary of the objectives, guidelines and standards created by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to protect most United States employees and ensure workplace safety. Providing standards and performing workplace inspections are two significant components of OSHA’s purpose.
Employers have many responsibilities to protect the health and safety of their employees, including the following:
- Recording illnesses and injuries related to the job
- Reporting accidents involving at least three workers who are hospitalized or one fatality no more than eight hours after the incident
- Allowing employees to access OSHA citations, abatement verifications and records of exposure incidents and medical histories
- Providing employees with any training and medical examinations specified by OSHA
OSHA provides multiple channels of access for employees who wish to file a complaint. Concerned workers can call a local OSHA office or complete and deliver the OSHA complaint form by fax or mail or through the website.
The agency recommends that when employees believe that an employer has failed to comply with OSHA standards by not providing adequate training, a safe workplace or other necessities of employee wellbeing, the complaint should be filed as soon as possible because the window for issuing a citation is only six months. Even if you are uncertain which standard your employer has violated, you are still well within your rights to file a complaint with your local OSHA office.