What Does OSHA Mean?
OSHA means Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is an agency within the Department of Labor that was established following the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act). OSHA’s responsibilities include:
- To adopt workplace safety and health standards.
- To establish workplace safety rights for employees.
- To provide technical assistance, education, and training.
- To enforce standards through an inspection program.
- To issue citations and financial penalties when necessary.
- To reduce the human and economic cost of workplace accidents.
- To establish recordkeeping processes for workplace injuries and illnesses.
- To work in partnership with state OSHA safety and health programs.
The Background to OSHA
Prior to the passage of the OSH Act, workplace safety and health was mostly a piecemeal effort that varied by industry and by state. There had been some federal successes in improving workplace safety – for example, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 – but attempts to replace state safety and health standards with federal standards had generally proved unsuccessful.
In the 1960s, due to a wave of criticism about disparate workplace safety and health regulations, President Lyndon Johnson set up a task force “to do something about the effects of a workingman’s job on his health”. However, due to disagreements about which federal departments would be responsible for controlling a national program, nothing ever became of it.
In 1968, a second attempt by President Johnson to implement national standards for workplace safety and health came closer to being successful, but was defeated by the lobbying might of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – who opposed the authority of federal inspectors to enter workplaces without permission or prior notice and issue fines or pursue criminal convictions.
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Nixon Changes Focus of Proposals
A change of presidency in 1969 saw a change of focus to workplace safety and health proposals. Whereas former President Johnson’s proposals had been based on regulation and enforcement, a new President – Richard Nixon – saw the focus change to health research, education, and training, with regulation and enforcement a secondary concern.
Nixon’s proposals also won over opponents from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by inviting industry groups to help develop consensus standards, and resolve the disagreements about which federal department would be responsible for controlling a federal program by creating a federal OSHA – but also allowing states to apply for state OSHA status.
Because of the compromises made to pass the OSH Act, there are now two levels of OSHA coverage. Federal OSHA applies in twenty seven states and territories to most private and public employees, and in a further six states and territories to most private employees only. In other states and territories, State Plans are responsible for the workplace safety and health of public employees.
What Does OSHA Mean for Workplace Safety and Health?
It is difficult to accurately establish what does OSHA mean for workplace health and safety because, at the time the OSHA Act was passed, there were fewer reporting requirements so there is no reliable base line to start from. As a guide, the latest “All About OSHA” publication claims that the number of workplace fatalities has decreased from around 14,000 per year in 1970 to 5,190 in 2021 – a reduction of 63%.
However, the agency warns against complacency – stating that multiple hazards and unsafe conditions still exist in U.S. workplaces. According to OSHA’s figures, more than 3.2 million workers suffer a serious workplace injury or illness each year, and millions of current and former workers have been exposed to toxic chemicals in the past that may cause illnesses in the future.
In January this year, OSHA announced it is increasing its enforcement activities to improve OSHA compliance. Under a new enforcement initiative, rather than combining violations into a single citation or penalty, OSHA inspectors will apply instance-by-instance citations and penalties for serious violations related to falls, respiratory protection, permit-required confined spaces, and lockout tagout.
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