What is OSHA Compliance?

WHAT-IS . NET
Information and answers to all your common and special questions.

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.

OSHA offers a variety of compliance assistance and outreach products and services to help employers prevent and reduce workplace fatalities, illnesses, and injuries. These include compliance assistance information, publications and tools; education and training courses; cooperative programs for organizations to collaborate with OSHA; free onsite consultation services; and the services of compliance assistance specialists who provide information and training about OSHA requirements.

The OSHA website at www.osha.gov provides information on all OSHA activities and programs, including OSHA laws and regulations, news and events, interactive software called "eTools," posters and publications, education and training programs, cooperative programs, and agency contact information.