What is OSHA?
In
1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was signed into law to
prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. This law created
the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (federal OSHA), an
agency of the United States Department of Labor that sets and enforces
protective workplace safety and health standards. OSHA standards are rules that describe the methods employers
are legally required to follow to protect their workers from hazards.
OSHA covers most private sector employers and their workers in all 50 states. Coverage is affected either directly through
federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved State Plan, which are job and safety
programs operated by state safety and health agencies (state OSHA) instead of
federal OSHA. Federal OSHA approves and
monitors State Plans, which must set workplace safety and health standards that
are at least as effective as federal OSHA standards.
Federal OSHA