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