OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It’s a federal agency that was founded alongside the Occupational Safety & Health Act of 1970. The OSH Act sought to protect the rights of workers and to offer long-term solutions for regulating workplace hazards.
Following the successful implementation of the OSH Act, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. The sole mission of OSHA is “to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”
OSHA is a division of the U.S. Department of Labor, whose administrators report directly to the Secretary of Labor.
Each state has the option of developing their own OSHA-approved state-run programs that focus directly on job safety and health. Other states choose to have their workers covered by federal OSHA regulations.
4 things about OSHA are
1. What does OSHA do?
OSHA's mission is "to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education, and assistance."
2. Who does OSHA protect?
OSHA serves most private sector employers and employees. The organization also monitors federal employers and employees. The only difference between the two is that OSHA cannot find a federal agency.
Workers who are not covered by OSHA include those who work for state or local governments, are self-employed, or work in an industry whose jobs require regulation by a separate federal agency (such as Mine Safety and Health Administration or the Federal Aviation Administration).
3. What is OSHA's future?
The largest reductions in worker mortality and injury are behind us as the direct threats have been regulated for decades. As new workplace hazards arise, like COVID19, OSHA will continue to adapt and protect.
In 2017, OSHA recorded more workplace deaths than it had in a decade.
At the same time, the number of OSHA inspectors reached a historic low that year due to budget cuts and the failure to fill vacancies.
Due to staffing shortages, enforcement activities declined, including the number of high-penalty cases.
The gains we have achieved in worker safety since OSHA's inception are not permanent.
Continued safety depends on OSHA being well-funded and well-staffed.
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