OSHA Stands for the Occupational

OSHA stands for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has been a division of the Department of Labor in the United States since 1971. The Administration was created after President Nixon signed the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which helped raise awareness of the importance of workplace safety issues. According to OSHA, the organization has reduced occupational deaths by 62% and injuries by 42% ("Frequently Asked Questions"). OSHA achieves its workplace health and safety goals with several methods including empirical research, education, policy/legislation, and overseeing workplace inspections. OSHA will be involved in lawsuits related to its jurisdiction. The effectiveness of OSHA objectives often depends on collaboration with other government agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency.

OSHA applies almost exclusively to private sector industries throughout the United States and its territories. Public sector jobs may or may not be covered by OSHA, depending on whether they are presided over by local, state or federal government agencies. OSHA does not cover most state and local government employees ("OSHA Coverage of State and Local Government Workers" nd). According to OSHA, states are "permitted" or "encouraged," but not required to offer their government employees coverage ("OSHA Coverage of State and Local Government Workers" nd). The Occupational Safety and Health Act allows states to develop their own workplace regulations and modes of enforcement. Those state-level OSH plans must comply with and be approved by OSHA, and in those cases states are required to extend coverage to state and local government employees ("OSHA Coverage of State and Local Government Workers" nd). States without their own OSH regulations are not required to develop coverage plans for state and local workers, but may do so voluntarily. Only Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and the Virgin Islands have created OSH regulations that apply to the public sector. Some industries such as mining, nuclear energy, and nuclear weapons manufacture are regulated by other government agencies and therefore exempt from OSHA coverage ("EHSO Summary of OSHA Regulations").

Worker right-to-know laws protect workers by legally obliging employers to divulge information about workplace hazards. Hazard communication standards require employers to "comprehensively" teach employees about hazardous materials in the workplace via such methods as "container labeling and other forms of warning, material safety data sheets and employee training," ("Hazard Communication").