Legal Definitions - Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. Its primary mission is to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for employees across the nation.

OSHA achieves this by:

• Developing and setting mandatory safety and health standards for workplaces.
• Enforcing these standards through inspections and investigations, and issuing citations or penalties when violations occur.
• Providing training, outreach, education, and assistance to employers and employees to help them understand and comply with safety regulations.

Here are some examples illustrating OSHA's role:

• A construction company building a new office tower: OSHA sets specific regulations for fall protection, scaffolding safety, and the use of personal protective equipment like hard hats and safety harnesses on construction sites. An OSHA inspector might visit the site to ensure workers are properly secured when working at heights and that scaffolding is erected according to safety standards. If the company is found to be non-compliant, OSHA can issue fines and require immediate corrective actions, thereby enforcing workplace safety.

• A manufacturing plant that uses heavy machinery: OSHA has standards requiring machine guarding to prevent workers from coming into contact with dangerous moving parts. They also set limits on noise exposure and require employers to provide hearing protection in noisy environments. The plant manager might consult OSHA guidelines to design a new production line, ensuring all machinery is properly guarded and that noise levels are within acceptable limits, or that hearing protection programs are in place. If an employee files a complaint about unsafe machinery, OSHA could investigate to verify compliance with these safety measures.

• A hospital handling medical waste and infectious materials: OSHA mandates strict protocols for healthcare facilities regarding bloodborne pathogens, hazardous waste disposal, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks. The hospital's safety officer must ensure that staff are trained on these protocols, that sharps are disposed of correctly, and that appropriate PPE is always available. OSHA might conduct an inspection to confirm the hospital's adherence to these health standards, protecting both healthcare workers and patients from potential exposure to infectious diseases or hazardous materials.