Legal Safety, and Regulatory Requirements

LEGAL, SAFETY, AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 1 Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements Tara Thompson HCS/341 October 1, 2012 Norman Greene LEGAL, SAFETY, AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 2 According to Peterson, (2012), â€Å"The Human Resource Department is responsible for compliance of a multitude of employment- and workplace- related laws. Human resource managers are also responsible for training other resource personnel to ensure that the laws are abided by throughout the organization.There are some common laws that affect HR decisions and actions which involve equal opportunity employment, discrimination, labor laws, and medical leaves of absence. † Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements does have an effect on Human Resource in regards to the statement: â€Å"Common Sense and compassion in the workplace has been replaced by litigation† I disagree, I believe there has to be a balance of Common Sense and Compassion while adhering to the Federal Laws that have been se t in place by the Department of Labor which has an impact on the Human Resource department.Legal, Safety, and Regulatory Requirements does have an impact on Human Resource, employees and employers have a contractual relationship and this contractual relationship can be comprised of a few laws that both employee and employer have to abide by in the workplace and Human Resource sees to it that these laws are carried out. These laws were put in place within organizations and businesses by the United States Government to be able to protect the employer, employee and the rights of the public in any situation that may occur on either part.People that work within Human Resources they have to be competent and knowledgeable about the laws and regulations that the Federal Government of the United States have put in place. Federal Laws According to  United States Department of Labor  (n. d. ) â€Å"The Department of Labor (DOL) administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws. These ma ndates and the regulations that LEGAL, SAFETY, AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 3 implement them cover many workplace activities for about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. Some of these Federal Laws that are implemented in the workplace are: Occupational Safety and Health Administration- Safety and Health conditions in most private industries are regulated by OSHA or OSHA-approved state programs, which also cover public sector employers. Employers that are covered under OSHA have to comply with the regulations in regard to the safety and health standards that have been set forth by OSHA. Organizations have a legal duty to provide their employees with workplace conditions that are free from serious hazards.OSHA enforces these regulations through workplace inspections and investigations. (United States Department of Labor,  n. d. ). Employees tend to work at their best when they have sense of security that they are safe in the workplace when performing their work duties. Acc ording to Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, and Cardy  (2010), â€Å"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides legal protection for people with physical or mental disabilities. Under the ADA employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees whose disabilities might prevent them from performing essential job functions adequately, unless it will create an undue hardship for the organization. It is ok for an employer to ask an applicant if they can perform essential job functions, hiring a person with disabilities can also be contingent upon the results of a medical examination. Statement â€Å"Common sense and compassion in the workplace has been replaced by litigation† is a statement that I do not agree with.Common sense is something that we are born with, but at the LEGAL, SAFETY, AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 4 same time it may not be so common, â€Å"We define compassion as an empathetic emotional response to another person’s pain or suffering t hat moves people to act in a way that will either ease the person’s condition or make it more bearable. † (Lilius, 2003). In any type of organization situations can occur that can have just cause for litigation.This is why it is critical for Human Resources to enforce and carry out the laws that the Federal government has put in place to ensure that employers, and employees are using their common sense and compassion and no one’s rights are being violated in anyway. Regulations and laws were created and put in place to make sure that people civil rights are not violated and they are treated fairly. Having common sense and compassion allows people to work together, relate to one another and in return they are satisfied with the work they do and accomplishments they make on the job.Working with common sense and compassion also decreases litigation from being in the workplace. Conclusion Human Resources have a multitude of responsibilities and it’s up to the Human Resource managers to carry them out and make sure they are adhered to. There are many Federal Laws and regulations that Human Resource managers should have knowledge about so when a situation occurs they will be able to handle it the right way.Human resource and The Department of Labor work hand in hand in the workplace OSHA guidelines should be adhered to because safety is critical and it is not just the responsibility of Human Resource but the responsibility of administration as well as all employees in the workplace. Everyone has the right to feel safe and work in a safe environment. American Disabilities Act is another law among many that Human Resources must adhere to. There should be a balance of common sense and compassion so that there is little to none litigation in the workplace.LEGAL, SAFETY, AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS 5 References Gomez-Mejia, L. R. , Balkin, D. B. , & Cardy, R. L. (2010). Managing Human Resources  (6th ed. ). Retrieved from https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/cwe/citation_generator/book_04_01. asp. Lilius, J. M. (2003). Compassion lab. com. Retrieved from http://www. compassionlab. com/docs/whatgoodiscompassion. pdf Peterson, J. (2012). What Are Various Employment Laws Which Affect HR Decisions & Actions? Retrieved from http://www. ehow. com/list_6814373_various-affect-hr-decisions-actions_. html