Workers' rights and employer responsibilities
This domain tests what workers may demand and what employers must do. Exam questions often turn on deadlines, recordkeeping, training, and the limits of protected activity.
Worker rights
Workers have the right to a safe workplace; to receive training and information in a language and format they understand; to access hazard exposure and injury records; to request an OSHA inspection; to participate in an inspection as an authorized employee representative; to file a complaint; and to be protected from retaliation for exercising these rights. Section 11(c) prohibits retaliation and sets a 30-day filing deadline. PPE must generally be provided at no cost.
Employer responsibilities
Employers must furnish a safe workplace, comply with standards, train workers, conduct required medical surveillance, provide PPE, and keep records. The OSHA 300 log records injuries and illnesses; the 300A summary must be posted February 1 through April 30. Employers must report a fatality within 8 hours and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye within 24 hours. Citations must be posted and abatement completed and verified.
The refusal-to-work limit
There is no unlimited right to refuse work. Protection generally requires a good-faith belief of imminent death or serious injury; no reasonable alternative; and, where possible, notifying the employer. It is narrower than “I felt unsafe.”
Worked example
A shipyard worker reports an unguarded deck opening. The supervisor moves her to a lower-paying shift and threatens termination. This is retaliation under Section 11(c). She should file within 30 days. Remedies can include reinstatement, back pay, and removal of the adverse action from her record. The safety complaint itself is protected activity; the 30-day clock applies to the retaliation claim.
Traps
Using 180 or 300 days instead of 30; believing refusal to work is always protected; thinking anonymous complaints are impossible; or assuming an employer may retaliate if the hazard complaint turns out to be mistaken. Good-faith reports are protected.