What Are The OSHA Guidelines For The Entertainment Industry?

Those who wish to work within the entertainment industry must now take a workplace safety OSHA course in order to be and stay compliant. Nevada is one state that has approved these regulations, and the Assembly Bill 190 was signed into law by Nevada’s Governor, Brian Sandoval. The OSHA safety courses must be taken by a state certified safety instructor.

What Is OSHA?

OSHA, or Occupational safety and Health Administration, mandates that all employers in the United States have safe work environments for their employees. This Act, signed into law in 1970, is overseen by OSHA, an agency within the Department of Labor.

Many companies are unsure whether or not they must be in compliance with OSHA. The simple answer is that any business in the United States with at least one employee must comply with the regulations set forth by

This means that any employer that gives a paycheck to a regular employee that is not considered a freelancer or independent contractor should have an OSHA compliant workplace.

For small businesses that have less than 10 employees do not have to file illness or injury reports with OSHA, but these businesses must still be in compliance with other regulations from OSHA.

State And Federal Laws

Even though OSHA is a federal agency, there are several states that have their own additional OSHA regulations. This is true for the state of Nevada. In fact, these state laws may even take precedence over the federal laws. It is important for employers to check with their state’s Department of Labor to find out what the state laws are. States that are not on the list only have to adhere to federal regulations.

Requirements For Employers

There are several ways that OSHA affects companies. The first way is that every business must have an OSHA compliant poster that is displayed prominently in the business. It should be in a location where employees can easily see it so they are informed of their rights in the workplace.

Business owners must also provide employees with information on how to identify any hazardous substance that is in the workplace. Employees must also be informed on how to best treat any injuries that sustain from these hazardous substances. Keep in mind that hazardous substances come in a variety of sizes and shapes. This means that many substances an employer or employee may not considered hazardous really are.

Consider the types of substances that employees can come into contact with in the entertainment industry. For example, there are substances that are commonly found in workplaces like cleaning supplies, flammable materials and materials containing bleach that are hazardous even though they are frequently used by employees.

This means that any material that is considered hazardous must have a MSDS sticker on them. These stickers are created by the manufacturer, and the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for each substance can be obtained from the manufacturer. Request to receive the sheets, and keep them in a location where employees can easily locate them.

Blood-borne pathogens are microorganisms that carry diseases and infections. They transmit and carry these infections and diseases through the blood and bodily fluids of humans. Some of the most common are:

HIV
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C

It is essential that workers in the entertainment industry are informed on ways to prevent the spread of these and other frequently transmitted diseases and infections in the entertainment industry. Protection from these diseases must also be provided by the employer.

Training is required fro employees who can potentially come into contact with these blood-borne pathogens. This is known as occupational exposure. Employees should know how to handle these pathogens during an emergency situation.

With that said, employers must report all accidents and fatalities that occur within the workplace to their local OSHA office. Even something that may seem insignificant as a cut on the skin must be reported, especially if the injury causes the employee to bleed. This creates a hazardous work environment for other employees.

Nevada’s requirement for the entertainment industry is to protect workers from injuries and accidents. This is an industry that has been overlooked for many years, and the 10-hour worker course is the first step in creating safe work environments for everyone from wardrobe to photographers and filmmakers.