OSHA poster requirements: what must be on the wall

The one mandatory OSHA poster

Every employer covered by the OSH Act must display the official "Job Safety and Health — It's the Law" workplace poster (OSHA 3165), in a conspicuous place where notices to employees are customarily posted. It informs workers of their rights to a safe workplace, to report hazards and injuries, and to be free from retaliation.

It is free — download or order it from the agency at no cost. It has no expiration date and no annual renewal: you replace it only when the agency publishes a revised version. Employers in OSHA-approved State Plan jurisdictions display the jurisdiction's equivalent poster instead, and workplaces with Spanish-speaking workers should post the Spanish version alongside (available free as well).

About those paid poster subscriptions

The "labor law poster compliance service" industry sells laminated bundles and update subscriptions for something the government gives away. Some bundles are convenient — one laminated sheet can combine the OSHA poster with other agencies' required notices — but the OSHA notice itself is never something you owe money for, and urgent-sounding "your posters are out of compliance" mailers are a sales tactic, not an enforcement notice.

The other postings employers forget

The poster is not the only thing OSHA expects on the wall at specific times:

• Form 300A annual summary — posted February 1 through April 30 in each covered establishment, executive-certified, even in a zero-injury year.
• Citations — if you are cited, the citation (or a copy) must be posted at or near the violation location for 3 working days or until the violation is abated, whichever is longer.
• Petitions, notices, and test results that individual standards require you to share — for example, exposure monitoring results under certain health standards must be communicated to affected employees.

Getting it right in five minutes

Download the current poster (and the State Plan equivalent for each work-site jurisdiction), post it beside your other employment notices at every establishment, add the February 300A posting to the same wall's calendar, and diarize a once-a-year check that versions are current. That is the entire obligation.

Frequently asked questions