OSHA Fact Sheets

OSHA Penalty Adjustments In November 2015, Congress enacted legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for i...

Personal protective equipment, or PPE, is designed to protect workers from serious workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chem...

OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) requires employers to protect workers who are occupationally exposed to blood and other pot...

Planning and Responding to Workplace Emergencies Nobody expects an emergency or disaster. Yet emergencies and disasters can strike anyone, anytim...

Using Portable Generators Safely Portable generators are internal combustion engines used to generate electricity.They are useful when temporary or...

Portable Ladder SafetyQUICK CARDFalls from portable ladders (step, straight, combination and extension) are one of the leading causes of occupation...

Who is protected by OSHA’s powered platforms standard?Thousands of window washers and building maintenance workers in the United States, who mostly...

PPE for Emergency Response and Recovery Workers When an emergency event occurs or a disaster strikes, first responders and recovery workers are oft...

What does the OSHA standard, Process Safety Management (PSM) of Highly Hazardous Chemicals, cover? This standard contains requirements for the saf...

Most farmworker injuries and deaths are caused by tractor incidents such as overturns, runovers, power take-off (PTO) systems, and unintended conta...

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak and can be caused by a variety of agents, including influenza and coronaviruses. During a pandemic, transmi...

OSHA Fact Sheet - Longshoring in Marine TerminalsThe lashing of containers and other cargo aboard vessels is dangerous work. Longshore workers lift...

Final Rule Overview BackgroundBeryllium and beryllium compounds are important materials used in the aerospace, electronics, energy, telecommunicati...

Protecting Yourself in the Sun Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin, wrinkles, cataracts, and ski...

Sharps are objects that can penetrate a worker’s skin, such as needles, scalpels, broken glass, capillary tubes and the exposed ends of dental wire...

Updates to OSHA’s Recordkeeping Rule: Reporting Fatalities and Severe Injuries OSHA’s updated recordkeeping rule expands the list of severe injurie...

OSHA Fact SheetThe United States is home to many species of tick that can transmit diseases to humans. Disease-carrying ticks have spread to new re...

OSHA Requirements When a Worker Experiences a Job-Related Injury or IllnessOver the past three decades, occupational injuries and illnesses in the ...

Rescue of Animals (Dogs) by Disaster Relief PersonnelOnly trained personnel experienced in animal behavior should attempt to rescue animals. Before...

OSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for ConstructionWorkers who are exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust are at increased risk o...

Respiratory Infection Control: Respirators Versus Surgical MasksIt is important that employers and workers understand the significant differences b...

Roof Tarping (Blue Roof) SafetyReinforced plastic tarps, commonly called “Blue Roofs,” provide temporary protection for the roofs of homes and othe...

Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders in Nursing Homes Nurses and other healthcare workers face many safety and health hazards in their work environ...

Winter driving can be hazardous and scary, especially in northern regions that get a lot of snow and ice. Additional preparations can help make a ...

Filling, Moving and Placing Sandbags During Flooding Disasters Manually filling, moving and placing sandbags is physically demanding work. It invo...

Narrow frame scaffolds, also known as Baker/Perry style scaffolds, are among the most popular pieces of construction equipment. Due to their versat...

Search and Rescue Operations Following a catastrophe, rescue workers and emergency responders are the first to arrive on the scene, often in unfam...

What are medical catheters?Medical catheters are tubes used in healthcare to deliver intravenous fluids and medications or to drain body fluids. Ex...

An Overview of Worker Protection Issues  SARS: Description and Concerns SARS is a severe viral illness that was first reported in Asia in February ...

Hazards Associated With ShipbreakingShipbreaking is the process of dismantling an obsolete vessel’s structure for scrapping or disposal. Conducted ...

This OSHA fact sheet provides prevention tips for tree care hazard risk factors such as: Traffic control Drop zones Wood chippers Aerial lifts Pow...

Fact Sheet During marine construction work deck barges are held in place by vertical steel shafts known as spuds. The spud equipment typically cons...

CONTROL OF SILICA DUST IN CONSTRUCTIONUsing a stationary masonry saw to cut bricks, concrete blocks, pavers, or other silica-containing materials c...

Created in 1998, OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program is an extended, voluntary, cooperative relationship between OSHA and groups of employers, wo...

Top Four Construction HazardsThe top four causes of construction fatalities are: Falls, Struck-By, Caught-In/Between and Electrocutions. Features ...

Safety Practices Once Tractor Trailer Drivers Arrive at a Destination Safety is just as important once a truck reaches a destination as when it is ...

Inspection of Suspension-Type Highway Trailers Prior to Loading and Unloading with Powered Industrial Trucks The purpose of this Technical Informat...

The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers are a national network of nonprofit organizations authorized by OSHA to deliver occupational sa...

Tree Trimming SafetyThousands of massive trees may have been uprooted by powerful winds from a hurricane taking power lines and transformers with t...

Trench collapses, or cave-ins, pose the greatest risk to workers’ lives. When done safely, trenching operations can reduce worker exposure to other...

Trenching Safety 5 Things You Should know to Stay Safe Features Poster size 11” x 17” Poster is available in English and in Spanish Front and back...

Using Aerial Lifts The major causes of injuries and fatalities involving aerial lifts are falls, electrocutions, and collapses or tip-overs. Aeria...

Generally, a variance is an alternative procedure of compliance with some part of a safety and health standard granted by OSHA to an employer. For ...

Preventing Violence against Taxi and For-Hire DriversTaxi drivers are over 20 times more likely to be murdered on the job than otherworkers. By rec...

Voluntary Protection ProgramsCreated in 1982, OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and partner with businesses and worksites that show ex...

VPP Corporate Pilot The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate Pilot to a...

This fact sheet provides guidance on conducting workplace safety inspections for safety officers and other workers who are assigned responsibility ...

BRIEF INCIDENT DESCRIPTIONA warehouse worker was fatally injured after falling seven feet from a wooden pallet elevated by a forklift. The warehous...