United States

Workplace safety

Reviewed 2026-07-26

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer

Do this first

Stop the work, make the area safe and report it. An unsafe job does not become safe by finishing it.

The OSH Act of 1970 puts the duty on the employer. Under its General Duty Clause, the workplace must be free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious harm. OSHA writes the detailed rules, carries out inspections and protects workers who speak up.

Step by step

Know the hazards of your job and where the safety data sheets, the first aid kit and the AED are kept.
Use the protective equipment provided, and report it when it is damaged, missing or the wrong size. The employer pays for required PPE.
Report near misses in writing. They show a hazard before a serious accident does.
If danger is imminent, stop the work, warn coworkers, move to safety and tell your supervisor. Ask for the hazard to be corrected.
After any accident, secure the scene, give first aid, and write down what happened before memories change. Work deaths must reach OSHA within 8 hours, and inpatient hospitalizations, amputations and eye losses within 24.
If the employer will not fix a serious hazard, file a complaint with OSHA at 1-800-321-6742 or osha.gov. Complaints can be confidential.
Attend the safety training the employer must provide, in a language you understand and during working hours.

Never do this

Do not bypass a guard, an interlock or an alarm because it slows the job down.
Do not work at height, in a confined space or on live electrical equipment without the required training and permit.
Do not stay silent out of fear. OSHA's whistleblower rules, section 11(c), make retaliation for reporting a hazard illegal.

Call emergency services if

Any accident with injury, unconsciousness, burns or heavy bleeding.
A chemical release, a fire, a collapse or a fall from height.
Anyone trapped in machinery or in a confined space.

Common questions

Can I refuse dangerous work?

Yes, under narrow conditions. You asked the employer to remove a real danger of death or serious injury, there is no time for an OSHA inspection, and no reasonable alternative exists. Refuse in good faith, stay at the site and call OSHA. Retaliation for that refusal is illegal.

Who has to provide first aid at work?

The employer does. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.151 requires trained first aid personnel when a clinic or hospital is not near, plus adequate supplies, and an eyewash and shower where corrosives are used.