Workplace Safety and Health

"I do not feel safe at work"

You have the right to a safe and healthy workplace regardless of your immigration status.

If you believe your employer has not provided you with a safe and healthy workplace, you may contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at 1-800-321-6742. If you are an agricultural worker, you should contact the State OSHA if you are in the following states: Maryland, Puerto Rico, Virginia, Vermont, North Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. These states also cover workers not in agriculture.

If you are not an agricultural worker, you can contact the State OSHA if you are in the following States: South Carolina, Utah, Iowa, Minnesota, Kentucky, Alaska, Indiana, Wyoming, and Virginia. For their telephone numbers, visit www.osha.gov and click "Contact Us." This information is available in Spanish, Haitian Creole, and other languages.

If your safety and health concerns are related to housing provided by your employer, you can contact the Wage and Hour Division by telephone: 1-866-487-9243. You can contact the Wage and Hour Division regardless of what state you are in.

If you believe working conditions are unsafe or unhealthy, you may file a confidential complaint with OSHA or the Wage & Hour Division. If you are in a state listed above that operates an OSHA state plan, you can ask the state OSHA for an inspection.

The temporary labor camp standard does not require separate housing for men and women. However, each person in a sleeping room must have at least 50 square feet of floor space and suitable storage space for their personal items. Beds, cots, and bunks must be at least three feet apart from one another.

Under the temporary labor camp standard, separate bathrooms must be provided for men and women. The bathrooms must be marked with easily understood pictures or symbols, or with words in English and the language of the housing occupants. The bathrooms for men and women must be separated by solid walls or partitions extending from the floor to the roof or ceiling.

When you are doing hand labor for more than three hours a day (including transportation) in the field of a farmer who has eleven or more hand laborers, your employer is required to provide clean toilet facilities and handwashing facilities with clean water, soap, and single-use towels, and a way to dispose of waste, including sanitary products. Approved OSHA State Plans may cover farms with fewer hand laborers. Workers should inquire with the individual State OSHA to determine coverage. The employer’s failure to provide the required facilities may result in citations, penalties, and other actions as appropriate.

If you believe your employer has not complied with these requirements, you should contact the Wage & Hour Division by telephone: 1-866-487-9243 (WHD). If you are in a state with an OSHA state plan which covers agricultural workers, you should contact the state OSHA. See the information at the beginning of this section, Workplace Safety and Health.

If your employer is required to provide toilet facilities in the field, as explained above, the employer must provide reasonable opportunities during the workday to use the bathroom.

If you believe your employer has not complied with these requirements, you may contact the Wage & Hour Division by telephone: 1-866-487-9243. If you are in a State with an OSHA state plan which covers agricultural workers, you should contact the state OSHA. See the information at the beginning of this section, Workplace Safety and Health.

Heat can make you sick or even kill you. Employers must protect their employees against heat stress. The most basic ways to do this include providing water, rest, and shade breaks. If you believe your employer does not protect workers against heat overexposure, contact OSHA, or if you are in a state with an OSHA state plan, you should contact that agency.

For more information visit OSHA's Heat-Exposure or Heat Illness Prevention webpages.

Yes. If you are a hand laborer working for a farmer who has eleven or more employees, the employer must provide potable, cool drinking water and reasonable opportunities to drink it. Approved OSHA State Plans may cover farms with fewer hand laborers. Workers should inquire with the individual State OSHA to determine coverage.

Employers in all other industries, such as construction and manufacturing, must also furnish potable drinking water to employees.

OSHA requires employers to pay for most personal protective equipment (PPE) used to comply with OSHA standards. Employers generally cannot require you to provide your own PPE.

For more information, visit OSHA's webpage on PPE.

The use of your own PPE must be completely voluntary. Your employer must ensure that your equipment is adequate to protect you from hazards at the workplace, including the maintenance and sanitation of the equipment.

For more information, visit OSHA's webpage on PPE.

The provision and use of PPE for pesticide applicators falls under the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), specifically the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard. Learn more at EPA's page: Pesticide Worker Safety.

You can contact OSHA for help with workplace hazards. You can call OSHA toll free at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742), and press option 4. You may also contact your local OSHA area office. If you are in a state with an OSHA state plan, you should contact the state OSHA. For a list of these states see the information at the beginning of this section, Workplace Safety and Health.

OSHA also has resources on their webpage relating to injuries. For more information, visit OSHA's webpage on ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorders

Your employer must give you safety instructions in a language that you understand.

For more information, visit OSHA's webpage on training.