United States Department of Labor Case Study

United States Department of Labor Case Study

Introduction

A safe work environment is one which is free from injuries and ill health, has high-performance standards and prevents damage to property, and avoids incidents such as loss events. The health and safety of workers in the United States of America is enforced and administered by Department of Labor (DOL). According to United States Department of Labor (2010), The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) and Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act render all employers under them to comply by providing its employees a workplace that is free from serious hazards. There are sections that provide standards to be followed in different health and safety standards. High level of management commitment, inspection programs and hazard control program are a pre-requisite of effective workplace safety.

The Need for Safety and Health

The health and safety of the workers is the responsibility of the employer. This is one of his prime responsibilities and basic rights of the workers. In order to ensure that the environment provided for the workers and employees are free from risks and hazards, the employer should not only make specific safety measures and guidelines but also monitor and maintain health and safety on a continual basis. In other words, there is a need to remain focuses on achieving workplace safety excellence (York, 2010). Workplace safety excellence is a rather novel concept and involves ensuring a secure environment for the employees of the organization. In this context, it is imperative to lay down the constituent characteristics of a safe environment. A work environment that is free from injuries and ill health, avoids incidents such as loss events, has high-performance standards and prevents damage to property may be considered as a safe workplace (United States Department of Labor, 2010).

Grounds for Occupational health and safety

There are three important reasons behind the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) that govern the working conditions in the United States. These fall in the category of moral, legal and economic and are discussed hereunder.

Moral

It is the moral responsibility of the employer not to put any of the employees at risk. In addition, it is the responsibility of the government to shape the right attitude of people on their responsibilities towards others. It is imperative to state here that health and safety at workplace is not just a legal matter but also a moral one and this moral obligation rests on the shoulders of each and every employee who is directly or indirectly involved in shaping the rules and regulations for occupational health and safety (Vredenburgh, 2002).

Legal

Enforcement of the standards that govern the occupational health and safety is the legal responsibility. There are criminal sanctions on those who do not adhere to the standards given by the Department of Labor. In addition, the compensation that is admissible to any person who suffers a health or safety hazard at work is also legal.

Economic

Employers in the US provide health ...