Occupational safety and health

The articles occupational safety and health and safety at work overlap thematically. Information that you are looking for here may also be found in the other article.
You are welcome to participate in the relevant redundancy discussion or directly help to merge the articles or to better distinguish them from each other (→ Instructions).

Occupational health and safety or employee protection is understood to mean the measures, means and methods for protecting employees from work-related safety and health hazards. The aim is to prevent accidents at work and to protect the health of employees.

The term "employee" is deliberately defined broadly in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. It includes all persons who are actually employed by another (natural or legal) person within the framework of an organisation. This includes in particular employees, but also civil servants, soldiers and judges; trainees, retrainees, interns, volunteers; postulants and novices; pupils and students; employees in a workshop for disabled people; persons similar to employees; helpers within the framework of a voluntary year, e.g. FSJ or FÖJ; church employees including monks, nuns, deaconesses; activities within the framework of occupational therapy; prisoners; volunteers of e.g. volunteer fire brigades or aid organisations. Employees within the meaning of the Occupational Safety and Health Act expressly do not include domestic workers in private households and conditionally employed persons on seagoing vessels and in companies subject to the Federal Mining Act.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act is the "controlling law" for the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

In the German-speaking countries, different, but largely synonymous, terms are sometimes used for the term "occupational safety and health", which is commonly used in Germany. The most common synonyms are "safety and health at work" and "occupational health and safety". In Austria the term "Arbeitnehmerschutz" or "ArbeitnehmerInnenschutz" is commonly used, in Switzerland the terms "Arbeitssicherheit" and "Gesundheitsschutz". The different terms depend in part on the namely different legal bases.

Historically, the term industrial hygiene was also used for occupational health and safety.

A distinction must be made between occupational safety (accident prevention) and |job safety, i.e. protection against loss of employment (unemployment).

Basics

Occupational health and safety deals, among other things, with the prevention of occupational accidents, the reduction of their consequences (e.g. through the elimination of hazards, additional protective measures, personal protective equipment (PPE), the control characteristics method, etc.), health protection (long-term = chronic as well as short-term = acute effects; for example hazardous substances, noise, mental stress, etc.) and personal protection (for example maternity protection, protection of young people) at work. In the company, it can be implemented in occupational safety management via an occupational safety management system (OSMS).

Types of occupational safety and health

In occupational health and safety, a distinction can be made between general and social occupational health and safety.

General occupational health and safety is intended to protect the life and health of employees, to maintain their working capacity and to ensure that work is humane. As soon as the employer issues safety regulations, be it by means of service instructions or agrees to a corresponding works agreement, these are in principle mandatory law for the employees in the employment relationship. Elementary safety regulations, which are intended to protect employees from significant health hazards, must therefore be observed by them. Violations can lead to consequences under employment law, up to and including termination of the employment relationship without notice.

Social occupational health and safety includes general matters such as working hours, youth employment protection or maternity protection.

Questions and Answers

Q: What is Occupational Safety and Health?

A: Occupational Safety and Health is a set of laws that have been made to protect the health and safety of people when they are working.

Q: When did the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) agree about standards of health in the workplace?

A: The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed about standards of health in the workplace in 1950.

Q: What kind of things will occupational safety and health laws deal with?

A: Occupational safety and health laws will deal with such things as temperature in the workplace, objects on floors that could cause accidents, smoking in workplaces, fire hazards, number of toilets per person, safety equipment needed for workers, rights for disabled people, hours worked per day etc.

Q: What happens if businesses do not obey occupational safety and health regulations?

A: Businesses that do not obey occupational safety and health regulations may be punished (e.g. with a fine or forced to close), or they may be held responsible if there is an accident.

Q: Who makes sure people obey occupational safety and health laws in Europe?

A: In Europe, member states have authorities which make sure that people obey the occupational safety and health laws.

Q: Who makes sure people obey occupational safety and health laws in the UK?

A: In the UK, occupational safety and health legislation is made by the Health & Safety Executive & local authorities under the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

Q: Who created both NIOSH & OSHA in America?

A: In America, both NIOSH & OSHA were created by The Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970.