Employee Safety, Health, and Well-Being
This domain tests the agency's duty to provide a safe workplace and support employee health. Expect questions on OSHA, recordkeeping, workers' compensation, emergency planning, workplace violence, and employee assistance programs.
Core rules
- OSHA's general duty clause requires a workplace free from recognized serious hazards not addressed by a specific standard.
- OSHA recordkeeping: work-related injuries and illnesses meeting criteria go on the OSHA 300 log. First aid is generally not recordable; medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work, restricted work, or loss of consciousness usually is.
- Employers must report work-related fatalities within 8 hours and certain severe injuries, such as in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye, within 24 hours.
- OSHA coverage of state and local government employees depends on whether the state operates an approved plan; public employers are not automatically covered in every jurisdiction.
- Workers' compensation is a no-fault system providing medical and wage-replacement benefits for work-related injury or illness.
- Emergency action plans, hazard communication, personal protective equipment, workplace-violence prevention, and EAPs address prevention and response.
Worked example
An employee strains a back while lifting a box. The clinic gives ibuprofen and ice, and the employee returns to normal duty the same day. That is first aid, so it is not recorded on the 300 log. If the clinic prescribes a work restriction for three days, the case becomes recordable as restricted work. If the employee is hospitalized overnight for treatment, the employer must report the in-patient hospitalization within 24 hours. Reasoning: recordability turns on treatment and work consequences, not on whether the injury seemed minor at the time.
Traps
- Treating every incident as OSHA-recordable; first aid is a key exception.
- Assuming OSHA automatically covers all public employees.
- Confusing workers' compensation eligibility with OSHA recordkeeping.
- Storing wellness or medical information in the general personnel file.