Safety & Health

You have the right to:

• be provided required personal protective equipment or PPE, such as gloves or a harness and lifeline for falls. See OSHA’s Employer Payment Guidelines for what type of equipment is covered.

• be protected from toxic chemicals.

Learn more about protective equipment

You have the right to:

• report a work-related injury or illness, and get copies of your medical records.

• see copies of the workplace injury and illness log.

• review records of work-related injuries and illnesses.

Learn more about workplace injury

You have the right to request an inspection from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and speak to the inspector.

Learn more about safety inspections

You have the right to be trained in a language you understand.

Learn more about proper training

You have the right to work on machines that are safe.

Learn more about unsafe machines

A whistleblower is someone who reports workplace conditions that they believe to be unsafe or illegal. As a whistleblower, a worker has the right to be protected from workplace retaliation by their employer for reporting injuries, safety concerns, or other protected activities. An employer can’t retaliate against a whistleblower for reporting injuries, safety concerns, or other protected activities.  Retaliation, or “adverse action,” can include, but is not limited to, firing, preventing someone from getting another job, or denying benefits to or making threats against a worker.

Learn more about Whistleblower Protections

Federal child labor law generally prohibits the employment of minors in nonagricultural occupations under the age of 14, restricts the hours and types of work that minors can perform under 16, and prohibits the employment of minors under the age of 18 in any hazardous occupation. Different child labor law standards apply to agricultural employment. Young workers have rights in the workplace, as outlined in OSHA’s videos in English and Spanish.

Learn more about child labor

The U.S. mines 65 different commodities, with nearly 13,000 mines across the country. Mining is a vital, yet dangerous, profession. Federal law affords certain rights to miners, and imposes responsibilities on mine operators, in an effort to improve safety conditions in mines across the United States. Under the Mine Act, miners must be provided with safety training, and have the right to request a health and safety inspections, and to report unsafe working conditions.

Learn more about safety rights for miners

You have the responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace.

You must provide a workplace free of known health and safety hazards and comply with certain safety standards, rules, and regulations, which may vary depending on your industry and nature of operations. Your employees have the right to refuse dangerous work, provided certain conditions are met.

Learn more about employer responsibilities

You have the responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace.

You’re required to keep a record of serious work-related injuries and illnesses if you’re a business with more than 10 employees. (Certain low-risk industries are exempted.) Minor injuries requiring first aid only do not need to be recorded.

Learn more about safety reporting and recordkeeping

Workplace emergencies, whether due to workplace hazards or natural disasters, create a variety of dangers for workers in the impacted area. In such situations, worker safety is paramount. Preparing before an incident is vital to ensuring that you and your workers have the necessary equipment, know where to go, and how to stay safe when an emergency occurs. To help, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides resources on a wide variety of emergency preparedness considerations.

Learn more about dangerous situations

OSHA has issued Recommended Practices for Anti-Retaliation Programs to help you create a workplace in which employees feel comfortable voicing their concerns without fear of retaliation. The recommendations are adaptable to most workplaces, and the concepts can be used to create a new program or enhance an existing one.

Learn more about Whistleblower Protections

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers compliance assistance products and services to help you comply with OSHA requirements and prevent or reduce workplace fatalities, illnesses, and injuries. In particular, OSHA offers no-cost On-Site Consultation services and Compliance Assistance Specialists.

Learn more about compliance assistance

Normally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducts inspections without advance notice. You have the right to require compliance officers to obtain an inspection warrant before entering the worksite, however.

OSHA focuses on the most hazardous workplaces by order of priority. For lower-priority hazards, an OSHA representative may contact you to describe safety and health concerns, following up with details. In such an instance, you must respond in writing within five working days, identifying any problems found and noting corrective actions taken or planned. If your response is adequate and the complainant satisfied, OSHA generally will not conduct an inspection.

Learn more about safety inspections

Federal child labor law generally prohibits the employment of minors in nonagricultural occupations under the age of 14, restricts the hours and types of work that minors can perform under 16, and prohibits the employment of minors under the age of 18 in any hazardous occupation. Different child labor law standards apply to agricultural employment. Young workers have rights in the workplace, as outlined in OSHA’s videos in English and Spanish.

Learn more about child labor

For workers employed by private companies or state and local government agencies, workers’ compensation—meaning compensation for workers who experience work-related injury or occupational disease—is overseen at the state level, by individual state workers’ compensation boards.

Learn more about workers' compensation