Are you confused by the many federal and state posters that employers are required to display at their workplaces? Most posters are normally available at no cost from the particular government entity requiring the notice and may be downloaded from their websites. OSHA requires employers to display a poster which informs employees of their rights and protections regarding job safety and health.

29 CFR 1903.2 outlines an employer’s obligation to post the notice. It must be displayed in a location that is easily seen by employees and where notices are normally displayed, such as a bulletin board in a break room or in a lobby area. The poster may also be displayed electronically on a company’s intranet, but this is not a substitute for the physical posting as not all employees may have access to a computer. Using your company’s intranet system as the only means of displaying federally mandated posters will not keep you in compliance even if all employees have a computer.

If your business has several different locations, the notice must be posted at each worksite. What about employees who work at home or do not work at one location, but may travel for work? The standard says at 1903.2 (b): “…such notice or notices shall be posted at the location from which the employees operate to carry out their activities.” So, you should be sure that your employees who work remotely are sent the appropriate posters. You may send them electronically or mail the actual posters.

For companies under federal OSHA jurisdiction, the required OSHA poster is available free online and may be downloaded for you to print and/or save electronically. It is available in both English and Spanish. Employers under their state’s OSHA jurisdiction should contact their state OSHA program to see if there is a state poster to display. The links below will help you determine the posters needed at your business:

Listing of federal posters

Poster information

Poster Advisor - questionnaire to determine federal and state posters needed

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