Does OSHA Have Small Business Regulations? How to Ensure You Comply with OSHA

There are many details and regulations that all small business owners must watch and plan around.

OSHA regulations are some of the heaviest. Their focus on safety is a tight rope even small businesses end up walking.

What small business regulations are an absolute must and which ones are avoidable?

Find out where you stand below.

Dealing with Small Business Regulations

Starting a business requires you to be a step ahead of all the problems and concerns that will come to haunt you.

One of the biggest detail that a business must deal with is the variety of regulations and requirements the government demands of you.

OSHA, or the Occupational Health and Safety Administration, has a series of safety regulations designed to protect workers from unsafe working environments.

Some of the regulations and penalties can be debilitating for small businesses. There are exceptions. What exceptions might your small business have?

OSHA Regulations and You

For the vast majority of businesses, there are no exceptions for OSHA regulations and safety training. For a small selection, there is some leniency.

1. Exemptions

Any business with 10 or fewer workers is exempt from filing their injury or illness records. 

Businesses that do not deal in harsh environments also have a low priority for OSHA regulations and investigations. The low hazard environments that qualify are finance, real estate, insurance, and some forms of retail.

Neither of these means that a business is immune to OSHA related regulations and details. The exemptions focus on record keeping.

The exemption does not cover an incident that causes the fatality or hospitalization of 3 or more employees.

2. Penalty Reductions

The penalty for breaking OSHA regulations can be very high. It is fortunate for small businesses that OSHA takes the size of the business into account.

For businesses with less than 250 workers, there is a 20% reduction for violation fees. If they have less than 100 workers, that reduction increases to 40%. If they have less than 25 workers, that reduction increases to 60%.

3. Inspections

If your business fits the above small business or low hazard environments, then you may also be immune to OSHA’s routine inspections.

These inspections ensure that all regulations are being followed and your workspace is safe.

Avoiding these allows for leniency in what regulations you follow. It does not protect you from repercussions of problems that come from them.

The Health and Safety of Your Workers

In the end, no matter what exemptions or reductions you may get, it is still cost effective to make sure your employees have a safe work environment. The costs of OSHA fines combined with compensating hurt workers will add up.

A safer environment is a cheaper environment in the long run.

As well, it may be harder to keep workers loyal to you if you are skipping out on following regulations to save money.

If you want to make sure your workers get all the right safety information and training, follow Safety 2019 for everything you need and more.

Making the Best Business You Can

Running a small business can be hard. Dealing with small business regulations can be harder.

Even with the hardest challenges, a small business can still thrive with the right leadership and knowledge. Learn more about our business tips right here.