OSHA It's the Law Poster Design Update

OSHA It's the Law Poster: Employer Posting Requirements

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires covered employers to display the official Job Safety and Health: It's the Law poster. This federal workplace notice informs employees about their safety and health rights and explains important employer responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The OSHA poster is one of the most recognizable federal workplace notices. Its familiar design provides employees with information about workplace hazards, safety training, reporting procedures, and protections against retaliation.

What Is the OSHA It's the Law Poster?

The OSHA Job Safety and Health: It's the Law poster explains important rights and responsibilities under federal occupational safety and health requirements.

The notice provides information about:

• Employees' rights to a safe and healthful workplace.
• Employer responsibilities for workplace safety.
• Employee rights to report workplace hazards.
• Protections against retaliation for exercising workplace safety rights.
• Employee access to certain workplace safety information.
• OSHA inspections and citations.
• Reporting requirements for certain serious workplace incidents.
• Available OSHA consultation and compliance assistance resources.

When Was the OSHA It's the Law Poster Redesigned?

OSHA introduced a redesigned version of its Job Safety and Health: It's the Law poster in 2015.

The revised design retained the familiar yellow and blue appearance while providing updated information about employee protections, workplace safety training, employer responsibilities, and serious injury reporting requirements.

The redesign helped communicate important workplace safety rights and responsibilities in a clearer format.

Do Employers Have to Replace Older OSHA Posters?

OSHA has stated that employers are not required to replace earlier valid versions of the federal OSHA poster solely because of the 2015 redesign.

However, employers should verify that their workplace notices satisfy applicable posting requirements and follow any subsequent official agency instructions.

Employers operating in states with OSHA-approved State Plans may be subject to additional or different workplace safety posting requirements.

Employee Rights Under OSHA

Employees covered by OSHA have important rights concerning workplace safety and health.

These rights generally include:

• Working in conditions that do not pose recognized serious safety and health hazards.
• Receiving information and training about applicable workplace hazards.
• Requesting an OSHA inspection when they believe unsafe or unhealthy conditions exist.
• Reporting workplace injuries, illnesses, and safety concerns.
• Accessing certain workplace injury, illness, and exposure records.
• Exercising protected workplace safety rights without unlawful retaliation.

OSHA Workplace Safety Training Requirements

OSHA standards require employers to provide certain workplace safety training based on the hazards and activities involved in their operations.

Required training must be provided in a language and vocabulary that employees can understand.

Employers should evaluate applicable safety standards and ensure that workers receive the training necessary to recognize and address workplace hazards.

Employer Responsibilities Under OSHA

Covered employers must comply with applicable occupational safety and health standards and maintain workplaces free from recognized hazards that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Depending on the workplace and applicable requirements, employer responsibilities may include:

• Identifying and addressing workplace safety hazards.
• Providing required employee safety training.
• Supplying appropriate personal protective equipment when required.
• Maintaining required workplace injury and illness records.
• Reporting qualifying serious workplace incidents.
• Displaying the required OSHA workplace notice.
• Posting OSHA citations as required.
• Protecting employees from unlawful retaliation for exercising safety rights.

OSHA Reporting Requirements for Serious Workplace Incidents

Federal OSHA requires covered employers to report certain serious work-related incidents within specified timeframes.

Generally, employers must report:

• Work-related fatalities: Within 8 hours of learning about a reportable fatality.
• Work-related inpatient hospitalizations: Within 24 hours of learning about a reportable hospitalization.
• Work-related amputations: Within 24 hours of learning about a reportable amputation.
• Work-related losses of an eye: Within 24 hours of learning about a reportable loss of an eye.

These requirements are subject to OSHA's reporting definitions, time limitations, exceptions, and jurisdiction-specific rules.

Employers should review the applicable regulations to determine whether an incident must be reported and how to submit the report.

OSHA Citation Posting Requirements

When OSHA issues a citation, employers generally must post a copy at or near the location of the cited violation.

Under federal OSHA requirements, citations generally must remain posted for three working days or until the violation is corrected, whichever is longer.

Employers should follow the applicable citation instructions and regulatory requirements.

Where Must the OSHA It's the Law Poster Be Displayed?

Employers covered by the federal OSHA posting requirement must display the official notice in a conspicuous location where employees can readily see it.

Common locations may include employee break rooms, designated workplace notice boards, and other areas regularly accessible to employees.

Employers with multiple workplaces should evaluate the posting requirements applicable to each establishment.

Do Small Businesses Need the OSHA Poster?

Many small businesses are subject to OSHA workplace posting requirements, even when they have relatively few employees.

However, coverage depends on the employer's circumstances, applicable laws, and OSHA jurisdiction.

Small employers should not assume that an exemption from certain OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping requirements also exempts them from applicable workplace posting obligations.

Federal OSHA and State OSHA Posting Requirements

Federal OSHA covers many private-sector workplaces throughout the United States. Certain states and territories operate OSHA-approved State Plans that may impose additional or different workplace safety requirements.

Employers should determine whether their operations fall under federal OSHA or an applicable State Plan and display the required notice.

For additional federal workplace notices, visit our Federal Labor Law Posters category.

OSHA Consultation Services for Employers

OSHA provides compliance assistance resources to help employers identify workplace hazards and improve safety programs.

The OSHA On-Site Consultation Program offers confidential occupational safety and health consultation services, primarily for small and medium-sized businesses.

These services are separate from OSHA enforcement inspections and can help eligible employers identify hazards and improve workplace safety practices.

Frequently Asked Questions About the OSHA It's the Law Poster

Is the OSHA It's the Law poster mandatory?

Yes. Employers covered by federal OSHA's posting requirement generally must display the official Job Safety and Health: It's the Law notice.

Do employers need to purchase an OSHA poster?

No. The official federal OSHA poster is available free of charge from OSHA. Employers may also purchase commercially printed workplace posters for convenience.

Does OSHA require employers to replace posters every year?

No. There is no universal annual replacement requirement for the OSHA It's the Law poster. Employers should follow official agency guidance concerning applicable notice revisions.

Can employers display the OSHA poster electronically?

Electronic access may supplement workplace safety communications, but employers should not assume that an electronic notice alone satisfies the federal OSHA physical posting requirement.

Does the OSHA poster need to be displayed in Spanish?

Federal OSHA provides the official poster in English and Spanish. Employers should review applicable posting and language-access requirements, including any rules established by an OSHA-approved State Plan.

OSHA Workplace Posters and Compliance Resources

Labor Law Compliance Center provides workplace safety posters, federal labor law notices, and state and federal combination posters for employers throughout the United States.

Browse our State and Federal Combination Labor Law Posters or explore our Poster Replacement Plan for assistance managing qualifying workplace posting updates.

For official OSHA poster information, visit the OSHA Job Safety and Health: It's the Law Poster page.

Compliance note: This article provides general educational information about OSHA workplace posting and safety requirements. Employers should consult current federal OSHA regulations, applicable State Plan requirements, and official agency guidance to determine their obligations.