Module 1 Study Guide

Introduction to OSHA

Module 1 Introduction to OSHA: Study Guide

Module Learning Objectives

1. Recognize types of workplace hazards.
2. List your rights and responsibilities.
3. Identify your employer’s responsibilities.
4. File a health and safety complaint.
5. Outline the steps OSHA takes to address complaints.

Module Summary

Learning Objective 1. Recognize types of workplace hazards.

Congress created OSHA in 1970 with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”) to
make workplaces safer. A key component is identifying and addressing workplace hazards as
early as possible to help prevent injuries and illnesses.

Common types of hazards include:

• Unstable walls
• Safety hazards: Unsafe conditions that can cause burns, cuts, amputations, broken
bones, electric shock, or death.
• Chemical hazards: Harmful chemicals, including gases, liquids, or dust, that can get into
the body through the nose, mouth, or skin.
• Biological hazards: Living things, including plants, animals, or germs, that can cause
diseases, allergic reactions, bites, or poisoning.
• Physical hazards: Environmental conditions that can cause sunburn, dehydration,
frostbite, or hearing loss.
• Ergonomic hazards: Working conditions that can cause back, shoulder, or neck pain,
discomfort, strains, and other injuries.
• Work organization hazards: Workplace issues that can cause stress.

The hierarchy of controls outlines the best way to protect workers from hazards by:
• Eliminating them from the site.
• Substituting them for something else.
• Reducing workers’ exposure with engineering safeguards (also called engineering
controls).
• Instituting safety policies (also called administrative controls).
• Providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against the effects of the
hazard.

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Learning Objective 2. List your rights and responsibilities.

Under OSHA, workers have nine rights:

1. To speak up about hazards without fear of retaliation.

2. To receive workplace safety and health training in a language they understand.
3. To work on machines that are safe.
4. To receive required safety equipment (PPE), such as gloves or a harness and lifeline for
falls.
5. To be protected from toxic chemicals.
6. To request an OSHA inspection and speak to the inspector.
7. To report an injury or illness and get copies of their medical records.
8. To review records of work-related injuries and illnesses.
9. To see the results of tests taken to find workplace hazards.

Worker responsibilities include following the company’s rules and using safety equipment.

Learning Objective 3. Identify your employer’s responsibilities.

There are several things employers must do:

Provide a workplace free from serious • Examine workplace conditions to

recognized hazards and comply with make sure they conform to
standards, rules, and regulations issued applicable OSHA standards.
under the OSH Act. • Make sure employees have and use
safe tools and equipment and
properly maintain this equipment.
• Use color codes, posters, labels, or
signs to warn employees of potential
hazards.
• Provide safety training in a language
and vocabulary workers can
understand.
• Post, at a prominent location within
the workplace, the OSHA poster (or
the state-plan equivalent) informing
employees of their rights and
responsibilities.

Establish or update operating procedures • Develop and implement a written

and communicate them so that employees hazard communication program and
follow safety and health requirements. train employees on the hazards they

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are exposed to and proper

precautions (and a copy of Safety
Data Sheets must be readily
available).
• OSHA encourages all employers to
adopt a safety and health program.
Provide medical examinations and training • Provide access to employee medical
when required by OSHA standards. records and exposure records to
employees or their authorized
representatives
Keep records of work-related injuries and • Report to the nearest OSHA office all
illnesses. work-related fatalities within 8
hours, and all work-related inpatient
hospitalizations, all amputations,
and all losses of an eye within 24
hours.
• Provide employees, former
employees, and their
representatives access to the log of
work-related Injuries and illnesses.
• Provide to the OSHA compliance
officer the names of authorized
employee representatives who may
be asked to accompany the
compliance officer during
an inspection.
• Post OSHA citations at or near the
work area involved.
• Correct cited violations by the
deadline set in the OSHA citation and
submit required abatement
verification documentation.

In addition, employers must not discriminate against employees who exercise their rights
under the OSH Act.

Learning Objective 4. File a health and safety complaint.

The first thing you should do if you notice an unsafe situation is talk to your supervisor or
employer. If you need to file a complaint with OSHA, you can do it:
• Online

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• Via fax/mail/email
• By phone
• In person

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program protects employees from retaliation for reporting
concerns about hazards or violations.

OSHA might inspect a workplace if:

• There are severe injuries or deaths onsite.
• There are complaints of hazards or violations.

OSHA will also do random inspections in high-hazard industries.

Learning Objective 5: Outline the steps OSHA takes to address complaints.

The OSHA investigation process includes:

Presentation of credentials The compliance safety and health officers

(OSHA inspectors) arrive onsite. They
present their credentials, which include
both a photograph and a serial number.
Opening conference The officers hold a meeting with your
employer, the company’s environmental
health and safety manager, and a few
representatives of the workers. They
describe:
• What they’ll inspect.
• How they’ll inspect it.
• How they’ll conduct private
employee interviews.
• How else employees will participate.

Walkaround The compliance officer and the

representatives walk through the worksite.
Closing conference The compliance officer holds a closing
conference to discuss the findings of the
complaint inspection.

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There are six categories of violations:

1. Serious: When a workplace hazard could cause an incident or illness that would result
in death or serious physical harm unless the employer did not know or could not have
known of the violation.
2. Other-than-serious: A violation that has a direct relationship to job safety and health
but is not serious in nature.
3. Posting requirements: A violation for failing to post an OSHA-issued citation at or near
the place where the violation occurred.
4. Failure to abate: A violation when the employer has failed to correct a citation that
OSHA has issued within the required time frame.
5. Willful: A violation in which the employer either knowingly failed to comply with a legal
requirement (purposeful disregard) or acted with plain indifference to employee safety.
6. Repeated: A violation in which the employer has been cited previously for the same or a
similar condition.

All employers are required to tell OSHA and record incidents on the OSHA 300 Log when a
worker suffers a work-related:
• Death.
• Hospitalization.
• Amputation.
• Loss of an eye.

The 300A Log summarizes all incidents from the previous year.

Knowledge Checks
1. Jerome just started a new job with a renovation company. His supervisor asks him to
begin tearing down ceiling tiles. Jerome finds a ladder and sets it in the middle of the
room to begin the job. As he climbs, one of the rungs breaks and he falls, bringing the
ladder down on top of him. What type of hazard is this?
A. Ergonomic
B. Physical
C. Safety
D. Work organization
2. Your employer just came out with a new set of operating procedures after one of your
co-workers was injured on the job. What type of safety control is this?
A. Administrative
B. Elimination
C. Engineering
D. Substitution
3. At what point will an OSHA inspection officer access training records?
A. During the presentation of credentials

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B. At the opening conference

C. During the walkaround
D. At the closing conference

Key Terms and Definitions

Key Term Definition

Administrative controls (safety policies) Changing the way people work so they avoid
the hazard
Biological hazard A living thing, including plants, animals, or
germs, that can cause diseases, allergic
reactions, bites, or poisoning
Chemical hazard A harmful chemical, including gases, liquids,
or dust, that can get into the body through
the nose, mouth, or skin
Elimination Completely removing a hazard from the site
Engineering controls Keeping people away from the hazard
Ergonomic hazard A working condition that can cause back,
shoulder, or neck pain, discomfort, strains,
and other injuries, such as carpal tunnel
syndrome, tendinitis, and trigger finger
Hazard Anything that could cause an injury or illness
Hierarchy of controls Hierarchy of controls: A system used in
industry to minimize or eliminate exposure
to hazards
Personal protective equipment (PPE) Equipment used to protect workers from the
effects of the hazard
Physical hazard An environmental condition that can cause
sunburn, dehydration, frostbite, or hearing
loss
Safety hazard An unsafe condition that can cause burns,
cuts, amputations, broken bones, electric
shock, or death
Standard An idea or thing used as a measure, norm, or
model in comparative evaluations

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Strain A severe or excessive demand on the

strength, resources, or abilities of someone
or something
Stress Subject to pressure or tension
Substitution Finding another way to work that isn’t as
hazardous
Unsafe conditions Any condition that poses or constitutes an
undue or unreasonable hazard or risk to life,
limb, or health of any person on or about the
property
Whistleblower A person who informs on a person or
organization engaged in an illicit activity
Work organization hazard Workplace issues that can cause stress
(short-term effects) and strain (long-term
effects)

Resources, Sources, and Links

1. All About OSHA:
[Link]
2. Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2020:
[Link]
3. Employee’s Report of Injury Form: [Link]
12/fy11_sh-22224-11_3_Accident_Investigation_Form.pdf
4. Employer Responsibilities Fact Sheet: [Link]
responsibilities
5. Employer Rights and Responsibilities Following a Federal OSHA Inspection:
[Link]
6. File a Complaint: [Link]
7. Hierarchy of Controls: [Link]
20839-10_hierarchy_of_controls.pdf
8. Job Safety and Health: It's the Law Workplace Poster:
[Link]
9. OSHA Commonly Used Statistics: [Link]
10. OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Program:
[Link]
11. OSHA Forms for Recording Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses:
[Link]
12. OSHA Health and Safety Topics: Incident Investigation:
[Link]

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13. OSHA State Plans: [Link]

14. Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards: [Link]
15. Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries in the Construction Industry: [Link]
content/uploads/[Link]
16. Types of Workplace Hazards: [Link]
11/fy10_sh-20839-10_circle_chart.pdf
17. We Are OSHA: Workers’ Rights Under the OSHA Act:
[Link]
18. Workplace Injury, Illness, and Fatality Statistics: [Link]
19. Workers’ Rights Practice Worksheet Crossword Puzzle:
[Link]
pdf

Answer Key
1. Jerome just started a new job with a renovation company. His supervisor asks him to
begin tearing down ceiling tiles. Jerome finds a ladder and sets it in the middle of the
room to begin the job. As he climbs, one of the rungs breaks and he falls, bringing the
ladder down on top of him. What type of hazard is this?
A. Ergonomic (Incorrect. An ergonomic hazard puta strain on your body due to the
type of work, body positions, or working conditions.)
B. Physical (Incorrect. Physical hazards are environmental conditions that can
harm you, such as exposure to temperature extremes or extreme noise.)
C. Safety (Correct. This is a safety hazard – an unsafe condition that can cause
injury.)
D. Work organization (Incorrect. Work organization hazards are workplace issues
that can cause stress and strain, including poor management, workplace
violence, and overtime.)
2. Your employer just came out with a new set of operating procedures after one of your
co-workers was injured on the job. What type of safety control is this?
A. Administrative (Correct. Administrative controls change the way people work so
they avoid the hazard. Operating procedures are an example of this.)
B. Elimination (Incorrect. Elimination controls Completely remove the hazard from
the site.)
C. Engineering (Incorrect. Engineering controls keep people away from the hazard.
An example would be installing guards on equipment.)
D. Substitution (Incorrect. Substitution controls find another way to work that isn’t
as hazardous. An example would be substituting a toxic chemical with one that
is non-toxic.)
3. At what point will an OSHA inspection officer access training records?
A. During the presentation of credentials (Incorrect. This is not the point when the
inspector would access training records.)

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B. At the opening conference (Incorrect. This part of the inspection is geared at

how the inspector will conduct the inspection.)
C. During the walkaround (Correct. This is the point where the inspector will ask
questions and examine documentation.)
D. At the closing conference (Incorrect. The closing conference covers findings and
potential courses of action.)

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