SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE GUIDE

Regulations

Environmental Regulations by Industry

Compliance Assistance Publications

Industry sector specific materials that explain environmental regulations.

Sector Notebooks

One for each of 33 industries; each covers environmental regulations that apply to that industry.

Compliance assistance and inspection publications

Guides, manuals, fact sheets, and brochures pertaining to individual sectors or a specific regulations.

Provided by the U.S. EPA.

Fast fact: Businesses that failed within one or two years of start-up had an average injury rate that was more than twice as high as the average rate for businesses that survived for more than five years.

Source: Holizki T, Nelson L, McDonald R. Injury Rate as an Indicator of Business Success. Industrial Health 2006:166-168.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration

OSHA Website

OSHA.gov organizes information mostly by industry (such as "construction") or hazard (like "asbestos" or "machine guarding").

Compliance Assistance Quick Start

Offers lists of booklets, brochures, checklists, and other compliance assistance materials tailored to helping small businesses protect workers and comply with regulations. Three Quick Start paths are offered:

General Industry
Health Care
Construction

Each path takes the small business user through specific steps to getting information about OSHA workplace rules that may apply to that business. Many resources are downloadable. Materials for employers of Hispanic workers can also be accessed through this site.

Index of Regulations

An index to all OSHA regulations. Many of the most commonly accessed rules are in the "General Industry Standards," Part 1910.

Overview of Employer Responsibilities

Introduces the general areas of responsibility that employers have for workplace safety and health. They include:

Who is covered by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act
Basic provisions/regulations
Employee rights
Recordkeeping, reporting, notices and posters

Penalties/sanctions
Relation to state, local, and other federal laws
Compliance assistance available
Department of Labor contacts

Required Posters

Information about required, labor-related posters, including one about job safety and health protection. A chart is provided that includes information about the name of the posters, who must post each one, penalties for not posting, and other information. Poster titles include:

Job Safety and Health Protection
Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law
Fair Labor Standards Act
Your Rights Under the Family and Medical Leave Act

In some cases downloadable and/or language alternative versions of the required posters are offered.

Provided by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), a part of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Fast fact: More than half of the U.S. labor force works in establishments with fewer than 100 employees.

Source: County Business Patterns. In. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce; 2008.

Overview of OSHA Requirements

OSHA Help for New Businesses

Basic information about OSHA requirements and links to OSHA publications, posters, and regulations. Includes links to the following information:

OSHA standards
Recordkeeping rules
Required posters
Hazard communications
Inspections information

OSHA offices
State programs
Consultation programs
Training
Factsheets on job safety

Provided by Environmental Safety and Health in the Community (a group of volunteer scientists and engineers).

Four-point Safety Plan

An overview of the basic elements of a safety and health program. The OSHA four-point safety program is presented. In addition, this site provides links to more than 40 safety checklists that provide a way to assess a business on different aspects of workplace safety and health.

Provided by Small Business Notes.

Indiana Regulations (applicable to other states)

Indiana Small Business Guide to Environmental, Safety, and Health Regulations

Designed to help small businesses in Indiana understand and comply with regulations that apply to them. It covers both environmental (11 chapters) and occupational safety and health regulations (26 chapters). Each chapter covers a different regulated area. Many of the safety and health regulations apply in other states too.

Provided by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Image courtesy of IDEM.