The
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act
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Frequently Asked Questions |
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The Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act was enacted to "assure safe
and healthful working conditions for working men and women." The OSH Act
created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at the
federal level and provided that states could run their own safety and
health programs as long as those programs were at least as effective as
the federal program. Enforcement and administration of the OSH Act in states under federal
jurisdiction is handled primarily by OSHA. Safety and health standards
related to field sanitation and certain temporary labor camps in the
agriculture industry are enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Employment Standards Administration's
Wage and Hour Division (WHD) in states under federal jurisdiction.
If a worksite is located in a state plan state, additional safety and health requirements may apply.
BASIC INFORMATION
FACT SHEETS
E-TOOLS
POSTERS
- Poster Requirement - Employers subject to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act
are required to post a notice notifying employees of the protections of the Act.
Every employer covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
who has more than 10 employees, except for employers in certain low-hazard industries in the retail,
finance, insurance, real estate, and service sectors, must maintain specific records of job
related injuries and illnesses.
The OSHA Form 300 is an injury/illness log, with a separate line entry for each recordable
injury or illness. Such events include work related deaths, injuries, and illnesses other than minor
injuries that require only first aid treatment and that do not involve medical treatment, loss of consciousness,
restriction of work, or transfer to another job. Each year, the employer must conspicuously post in the workplace
an OSHA Form 300A, which includes a summary of the previous year's work-related injuries and illnesses. Employers must
also record on the OSHA Form 301 individual incident reports that provide added detail about each specific recordable injury or illness.
OSHA Web page on Recordkeeping.
- The
Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970
- 29 CFR Parts 70 to 2400 - Regulations
issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cover a broad array of subjects, including:
procedures for state agreements; standards applicable to specific industries, such as shipyards, marine terminals,
and agriculture; recording and reporting occupational injuries and illness; safety standards; health standards; and
criteria for assessment of penalties.
- See also Compliance Assistance By Topic:
*Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Labor's Confidentiality Protocol
for Compliance Assistance Inquiries, information provided by a telephone caller
will be kept confidential within the bounds of the law. Compliance assistance
inquiries will not trigger an inspection, audit, investigation, etc.
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