Success
OSHA Regulations for the State of Florida
All private sector employers in the state of Florida fall within Federal OSHA jurisdiction and must comply with Federal OSHA standards as per the OSH Act of 1970 when ensuring the safety and health of employees in the workplace. Florida has directly adopted the Federal OSHA regulations for the construction industry, general industry, maritime, and agriculture industry. The state of Florida also adheres to the recordkeeping and whistleblower standards as developed by Federal OSHA. Thus, all employers, especially those involved in hazardous work operations or operating hazardous worksites must train all their workers in the relevant standards as applies to the work being carried out.
Note that Federal OSHA does not apply to and cover state and local government workers and organizations in the state of Florida.
State of Florida On-Site Consultation Program
To assist and support employers, OSHA funds on-site consultation program for private sector small and medium-sized businesses in the state of Florida. This program is free and works on the basis of offering confidential advice to the targeted employer groups to enable them to adhere to the OSHA Standards to the best of their ability by assisting in the hazard identification process and recommending suitable and most appropriate solutions to minimize the prevailing hazards in the workplace. This on-site consultation program also does not result in any penalties or citations by Federal OSHA. In Florida, this on-site consultation program is provided by the SafetyFlorida Consultation Staff at the University of South Florida (USF). Considering current COVID-19 environment, they even offer virtual consultation services to the target employer group.
For more information about the on-site consultation program, visit the dedicated page on OSHA’s website.
Federal OSHA Offices in Florida
To support all private sector employees and employers in the state of Florida, Federal OSHA has dedicated offices to serve the Fort Lauderdale area, Jacksonville area, Tampa area, and the Orlando area. Additionally, Federal OSHA also operates a mobile area office to serve private sector employers as required.
In case of any concerns regarding OSHA standards applicability or compliance with OSHA standards, employers and employees can simply contact the nearest office to their location for assistance.
