The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released a new version of the “It’s the Law” Job Safety and Health poster. The poster, which informs workers of their rights and employers of their legal obligation to provide a safe workplace, was reworded and reformatted.

As you know, our full-time legal staff constantly monitors federal, state and city employment laws to bring you the most up-to-date postings. But sometimes the circumstances surrounding a change – and its impact on employers – vary. That’s why we’re taking the time to share the following po​inters about this poster:

1. The new poster covers more information than the previous poster –

   Like before, the 2015 version of the “It’s the Law!” poster informs workers of their right to request an OSHA inspection and obtain medical records, along with the employer’s obligation to provide a workplace free from hazards and to display the federal poster. What’s new, however, is the list of employee rights and employer responsibilities, which now covers certain training and injury reporting requirements.

2. It’s a non-mandatory posting update –

   This is an important point with the new OSHA poster! Don’t be fooled by other poster providers claiming this is a mandatory change. This is completely false. Because the change is non-mandatory, the previous version of the poster is fully compliant. That being said …

3. It’s your choice whether to order it –

   While you’re more than welcome to replace your previous federal poster to cover the new OSHA laws – and may choose to at any point – it’s not a legal requirement at this time. Many employers are purchasing the all-in-one federal poster because the 2015 version contains OSHA updates they want to share with their staff. But again, the previous version can still be displayed.

In the meantime, keep in mind that any future orders of the federal poster will automatically include the new 2015 OSHA posting. Be aware, too, that the new posting could become mandatory in the future. Of course, we’ll keep you posted of this and any other developments.