Workplace health and safety is not something to take lightly. A workplace accident can annihilate your business. It can cause irreversible damage to your employees, including, death in accidents related to the workplace, occupational illnesses and work-related disabilities. Any of these can lead to costly worker’s compensation, insurance claims, expensive repairs of damaged equipment and could eventually mar the image of the company.

While many employers maintain a safe workplace out of a personal desire to avoid adverse impacts of accidents, workplace health and safety is heavily regulated by the government. Many government agencies, as well as employees’ unions, demand that all employers deliver safe and healthy working conditions at all times.

OSHA or the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for instance, is one of the health and safety regulators that govern workplace safety. The body has put in place several government safety regulations that all small businesses and large, multinational organizations, regardless of industry, must follow. Generally, the OSHA standards give all employers a legal obligation to ensure: