Union Approach to Health and Safety: - United Steelworkers

Resource Handout
LEGAL RIGHTS TO SAFETY AND HEALTH
INFORMATION
There are many ways workers and their unions can use safety and health information to
improve conditions at the workplace, including:
To identify and document workplace hazards;
To identify how many workers are getting injured or made ill at the workplace;
what kinds of illnesses and injuries workers are suffering from; and which workers
have similar injuries or illnesses; and
To get hazards corrected.
There are several laws that give workers and their unions the right to safety and health
information from their employers. The main law is the Occupational Safety and Health
Act (OSH Act). Collective bargaining law and the Freedom of Information Act also
provide some important rights.
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ACT
Under the OSH Act, workers have the legal right to obtain safety and health information
from employers, such as:
Records of work-related injuries and illnesses,
Results of workplace monitoring for health hazards (like chemicals, noise, and
radiation),
Workers’ medical records maintained by the employer, and
Information about chemicals in the workplace.
In addition, employers have a legal responsibility to conduct worker safety training
programs about chemical hazards.
There are three major standards that deal with the right to information under the OSH
Act:
Hazard Communication (1910.1200): employers must provide information on toxic or
hazardous chemicals to which workers are exposed.