Final answer:
HR professionals create a culture of safety by setting safety metrics and encouraging reporting of incidents. They comply with OSHA standards by providing necessary training and protections, and fostering transparency and non-retaliation for reporting safety concerns. These actions are geared towards ensuring a safe and healthy workplace environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Creating tangible metrics to measure safety and encouraging reporting of incidences are ways that HR professionals can create a culture of safety in the workplace. This includes providing safety training to workers in a language they understand, keeping accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses, and performing workplace tests, such as air sampling. Employers must not only comply with OSHA requirements by providing the necessary personal protective equipment and ensuring the workplace is free from serious hazards, but they should also prioritize effective ways to reduce or eliminate risks, such as switching to safer chemicals or improving ventilation systems.
Furthermore, by posting OSHA citations and injury and illness summary data, providing required health exams, and notifying OSHA promptly in case of serious incidents, employers contribute to the transparency and accountability that reinforce a culture of safety. It's also crucial for employers to inform workers about potential hazards and not retaliate against those who exercise their rights under the law, including reporting a work-related injury or filing a complaint with OSHA. Overall, these actions help protect workers and establish a work environment where safety is a collective responsibility.