Final answer:
The employer is responsible for ensuring that workplace surfaces are safe for workers, following OSHA standards and providing necessary safety measures and training.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that the workplace surface is safe to support workers. Employers are required to provide a workplace without serious hazards, following all OSHA safety and health standards. They are tasked with finding and correcting safety and health problems, and they should attempt to eliminate or reduce hazards by making changes in working conditions over relying on personal protective equipment (PPE).
Employers are also obliged to inform workers about chemical hazards through various methods such as training and chemical information sheets. They must adhere to specific standards, including providing fall protection, preventing trenching cave-ins, and preventing exposure to infectious diseases and harmful chemicals, among others. If no specific standard applies, employers must comply with the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act to keep workplaces free of serious recognized hazards.
Moreover, employers are required to provide safety training, keep accurate work-related injury and illness records, perform required workplace tests, provide necessary personal protective equipment at no cost, and notify OSHA of any workplace fatalities or severe injuries. These steps are essential to protect workers from physical harm in the workplace.