If you run a business, you know work safety posters are important to have around. OSHA, which is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is around to make sure that as an employer, you are adhering to the Department of Labor's safety and health regulations.

How will they know if you are? OSHA performs workplace inspections, and one of the things they look for is if you have your workplace health and safety posters displayed. They want to make sure you are providing a safe workplace for your employees. If you are concerned about your posters being out-of-date, then it's time to brush up on some workplace health and safety posters basics. Consider the following when looking to display your posters:

1. Research which federal, state and OSHA health and safety posters are required for display in the workplace.

2. Perform a search for a supplier that carries your required posters.

3. Add any company specific health and safety posters.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Determine the posters needed to comply with OSHA, state and federal guidelines

Each state has different requirements for posters that need to be displayed. If you are unsure of what specific health and safety posters you need to have on your walls, then you need to do some research based on the state your business is located in and also the type of business.

I recommend: The Labor Law Center offers a free search that lets you pick the state your business is in and returns a list of all required posters you need to display. The Compliance Poster Company provides the same kind of free search, except you can not only select your state, but the type of industry your business falls under.

Find a supplier that carries all the necessary posters

Since there are many laws to keep track of, it's a good idea to find a supplier that can be a one stop shop for all your state, federal and OSHA safety poster needs. Use the Internet to find suppliers that not only carry all of your posters, but will alert you when there are changes to your posters or mandatory posting requirements.

I recommend: PosterSolution.com offers combined state, federal and OSHA posters that display all the required laws on one large poster. They will also alert you of any changes to the posters you have ordered. The All in One Poster Company also offers the choice of combined state, federal and OSHA posters.

Add any company specific workplace health and safety posters

Besides the required state, federal and OSHA posters, it's a good idea to highlight safety specifics for the company you are running. If the employees in your company run heavy machinery or operate power tools, you might want to consider having some industrial safety posters. If you run a business that serves food and/or beverages, make it a point to display a few health posters.

I recommend: The Workplace Safety Store has health safety posters for a variety of businesses, such as construction, food and hospitality, and general industry. Business and Legal Reports has posters relating to many areas like forklift safety, blood borne pathogens and hand and power tools.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Your company runs the risk of being assessed fines if all mandatory state, federal and OSHA postings are not displayed and/or updated.

Workplace health and safety posters help ensure the safety of all people present in the work environment regardless of what kinds of health hazards may exist. In factories and warehouses, industrial safety posters help reduce risky behaviors that may result in injury. But even in a basic office environment work safety posters can help employees develop healthy work habits.

Federal and state regulations govern what work safety posters must be on display in the workplace, but employers should consider posting additional information beyond that which is required to promote a safe and healthy workplace environment for all:

1. Know which federal and state OSHA health and safety posters that are required to be on display.
2. Use a workers safety poster to give information on employer obligations and employee rights pertaining to health and safety.
3. Post workplace safety posters with data and statistics about workplace injuries pertaining to your industry.
4. Share information about general healthy habits that can be promoted within the workplaces.
5. Update your health and safety posters regularly with current data and a variety of tips on how to maintain a safe, healthy workplace.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Follow OSHA standards on health posters

State and federal standards govern certain posters that you must put on display. Know the OSHA safety posters requirements for your type of business.

I recommend: Select your state to view the required posters and order them directly from Business Know-How. Posters include federal and state OSHA requirements on one poster. Check out the Compliance Poster Company, where you can select your state and industry to find applicable posters.

Choose industrial safety posters that work

Employees often overlook the standard safety posters. Draw attention to the importance of safety by choosing posters that your employees will notice.

I recommend: Safety World offers a great line of safety awareness posters based on The Simpsons. Check out the topic library to find Simpsons safety posters for your industry.

Show your concern with health information posters

Health is also a workplace concern, so alert employees to health-related issues with additional health safety posters.

I recommend: Workplace safety posters as well as health posters should highlight health concerns specific to your industry. If employees work in a warehouse and do heavy lifting, post information on how to avoid physical wear and tear and discomfort. If employees work in an office where inactivity may lead to unhealthy lifestyles and poor heart health, post information on healthy eating routines and other habits.

Update workplace safety/health posters

Update your health and safety poster displays with current federal and state requirements and laws, as well as changing health and safety tips.

I recommend: Ensure that, along with the required safety information, your employees have a constant supply of new material to keep them thinking about health and safety. Get safety posters that are relevant to your business from National Safety Compliance. Use posters from G. Neil with fast safety facts about how to prevent injury. Complement your health and safety posters with posters that display the facts about workplace injuries and fatalities in your own industry.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Meet federal and state requirements first before adding additional information. If the required safety information is not on display, you could be subject to state or federal fines and penalties.
• •  Consider the local flavor of your workplace. If your employees have expressed specific health and safety concerns, address those topics. Also, keep past accidents in mind as you select your workplace health and safety posters.
• •  Couple your safety posters with awareness events. Posters need to be in place as a reminder, but to really ensure workers' safety, don't rely on posters alone to educate employees.

Any business owner should be familiar with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and their insistence that employers follow the Department of Labor's safety and health regulations and display the required workplace health and safety posters. While displaying the minimum amount of workplace safety health posters is by all means acceptable, there are a few more options for business owners to consider when making the most of workplace health and safety posters.

Keep in mind the well being of your employees as you decide how you can go above and beyond what is required by OSHA. Are there specific injuries that you see happening more frequently than they should? Is there any heavy machinery operated on a daily basis? Think about the following while you are examining your workplace safety posters:

1. Display posters that relate directly to the type of business you run.

2. Promote health related issues.

3. Build on your health and safety posters with presentations.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Add additional work safety posters that directly relate to your business' day-to-day operations

The required work safety posters are very generic and can be used in all types of businesses. But generic information won't help to keep your employees safe if they use power tools on a daily basis, come in contact with used needles or operate heavy machinery. Keep employees alerted to the procedures directly related to what they do.

I recommend: Business Know-How offers posters that concentrate on industrial truck and forklift safety, as well as posters with information on blood borne pathogens. C&H Distributors provides posters that illustrate how to work in confined spaces and also how to handle flammable liquids. Both offer posters for many other situations as well.

Expand on health related issues affecting your employees with health safety posters

If you've noticed the same injury happening frequently among your employees, it might be time to post some information on how to prevent them. If improper lifting is causing your employees to injure themselves, consider posters on proper lifting. If your business has your employees outside in the hot sun for most of the work day, you might want to consider providing some warm weather tips.

I recommend: The Compliance Poster Company has a heat illness poster, in addition to other health related posters, that can explain to your employees not only how to prevent heat related illnesses, but to recognize symptoms in other employees. TurboErgo offers posters that detail the correct way to lift heavy objects and also how to stretch to build the muscles used in lifting heavy objects.

Incorporate presentations that expand on the information presented on the workplace safety posters

Really enforce the workplace safety message you are trying to get across by using methods other than posters. Use multimedia presentations to stress the information shown on your industrial safety posters. You can also use handouts to build upon the messages in your health safety posters.

I recommend: Order PowerPoint presentations from Superfactory, who offer a variety of safety related presentations, such as hand power tool safety and respiratory protection. Safety Video Direct has industry specific safety training videos that range from videos related to the food industry and agriculture to solid waste management.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Before you think about ordering or displaying additional health information posters, make sure your business meets the required federal and state requirements.

Federal and state laws require businesses to display certain posters in the workplace so that employees have ready access to them. These posters inform workers of various laws and standards that their employers must follow. In some states, poster displaying requirements are based upon company size. They can also be based upon the nature of work employees perform. Get acquainted with workplace health and safety posters key terms so you can comply with federal and state laws.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Applicant information poster

An applicant information poster is a fact sheet made readily available to employees that explains significant legal information.

I recommend: To get an idea of what a typical applicant information poster looks like, go to Business Know How. You'll find out standard sizes for these posters and what languages they're available in.

Heat illness posters

Use a heat illness poster to inform employees of the dangers from over-exposure to heat and the symptoms that are associated with certain heat-induced illnesses.

I recommend: View a sample heat illness poster at Compliance Poster. Check out which industries should post heat illness posters and the OSHA-mandated clauses these posters should contain.

Poster requirements for small businesses

You may be doing business in a state where labor laws have poster requirements for small businesses.

I recommend: Read a discussion of poster requirements for small businesses at the Department of Labor. Find out whether your business is regulated by a law that mandates employers display posters.

Federal government workplace posters

Federal government workplace posters refers to those posters required by federal law. These can be mandatory in all businesses regardless of size.

I recommend: The Labor Law Center lists the federal government workplace posters that businesses must display. Find out the content of the posters and who is required to display them.

Required posters at the workplace

Many states' websites inform businesses about the required posters at the workplace, whether those posters inform of federal or state law.

I recommend: gNeil identifies required posters at the workplace for business owners. It also tells guarantees compliance protection.

Labor posters

Some states use the term 'labor posters' to describe any workplace health or safety posters required by state law.

I recommend: Poster Compliance lists all labor posters required of businesses in that state. These include state, federal, workplace safety and employee health posters. The website also identifies the date the state's legislature required businesses to display the poster.