THE ADA PRACTICAL GUIDE TO OSHA TRAINING 5 OSHA’s mission is to assure the safety and health of America’s workers by: • Setting and enforcing standards • Providing training, outreach, and education • Establishing partnerships • Encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health Following the standards set by OSHA is a shared responsibility of both employers and employees. Each party has certain obligations for protecting workers. By learning what is expected of you and of your employer, you take the first step in keeping the workplace safe. Employer Responsibilities Under OSHA regulations, your employer is responsible for providing you with reasonable protection against known workplace hazards. He or she must provide you with training specific to any significant hazards to which you are exposed in your office (such as bloodborne pathogens or hazardous chemicals). You should be retrained annually. You will also be trained when you take on additional responsibilities that involve new hazards or if a new hazard is introduced into the workplace. Your employer will provide you with necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear in your daily work. This may include gloves, masks, gowns and protective eyewear. Employers are also responsible for making an exposure control Learning Objectives After reviewing this unit, the course participant should be able to: • Understand OSHA’s mission as it relates to dental practices • Identify responsibilities of both employer and employee under OSHA regulations • Recognize the types of issues covered by the General Safety Standard and how to get more information about them Unit 1: General Safety Standards and OSHA Overview