UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Welcome to OSHA's Law and Regulations page. This page contains links to all current OSHA standards, provides information on the rulemaking process used to develop workplace health and safety standards, and includes links to all Federal Register notices that are currently open for comment. This page also provides links to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) and other relevant laws. Finally, this page includes resources to explore the Federal Register, the Code of Federal Regulations, and RegInfo.gov the federal government's public portal for all agency regulatory information.

Under the OSH Act, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace. OSHA's mission is to assure safe and healthful workplaces by setting and enforcing standards, and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. Employers must comply with all applicable OSHA standards. Employers must also comply with the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, which requires employers to keep their workplace free of serious recognized hazards.

Find an OSHA standard:

• General Industry
• Construction
• Maritime
• Agriculture
• Recordkeeping
• State Plans
• All

The Rulemaking Process

Before OSHA can issue a standard, it must go through an extensive and lengthy process that includes substantial public engagement, notice and comment periods. This is known as OSHA's "rulemaking process."

Click on the image to browse the rulemaking process through an easy-to follow flowchart. Each stage contains an approximate timeline of the process, and details of the requirements OSHA has to follow before each stage can be completed. The icons on the flowchart help guide the viewer through the type of requirement - legal, internal or executive order - that dictates OSHA's actions in each stage of the process.

OSHA can begin standards-setting procedures on its own initiative or in response to petitions from other parties, including:

• The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS);
• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH);
• State and local governments;
• Nationally recognized standards-producing organizations and employer or labor representatives; and
• Any other interested parties

Each spring and fall, the Department of Labor publishes in the Federal Register a list of all standards and regulations that have work underway. This regulatory agenda provides a schedule for the development of standards and regulations so that employers, employees, and other interested parties can follow their progress and participate in the rulemaking process during comment periods, public hearings, and other meetings.