Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 · 4 Introduction The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to help employers

This booklet provides a general overview of basictopics related to OSHA and how it operates.Information provided does not determine compli-ance responsibilities under OSHA standards orthe Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970(OSH Act).

Because interpretations and enforcement policymay change over time, you should consult theagency for the most up-to-date information. Much of it is available at the OSHA website at:www.osha.gov. The website also includes loca-tions and phone numbers for OSHA officesaround the country. If you do not have access tothe website, call (800) 321-OSHA (6742). Thisinformation is available to sensory impaired indi-viduals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.

Material in this publication is in the public domainand may be reproduced, fully or partially, withoutpermission. Source credit is requested but notrequired.

U.S. Department of Labor

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

OSHA 3302-06N2006

All About OSHA

Contents

OSHA’s Mission . . . 3

Introduction . . . 4

OSHA Coverage . . . 6

State Programs . . . 8

Standards & Guidance . . . 9

The Standards-Setting Process . . . 10

Reporting . . . 13

OSHA Enforcement Activities . . . 15

Enhanced Enforcement Program . . . 16

The OSHA Whistleblower Program . . . 16

Filing a Complaint . . . 17

Outreach, Education and Training, andCompliance Assistance . . . 18

OSHA’s Cooperative Programs . . . 22

Business Feedback . . . 29

OSHA National Office Directorates . . . back cover

Occupat ional Safety and Health Administrat ion2

OSHA’s MissionEmployers are responsible for providing a safe andhealthful workplace for their employees. OSHA’srole is to assure the safety and health of America’sworkers by setting and enforcing standards; provid-ing training, outreach, and education; establishingpartnerships; and encouraging continual processimprovement in workplace safety and health.

OSHA establishes and enforces protective stan-dards and reaches out to employers and employ-ees through technical assistance and consultationprograms. OSHA and its state partners haveapproximately 2,400 inspectors and about 550state consultants, plus complaint discriminationinvestigators, engineers, physicians, educators,standard writers, and other technical and supportpersonnel spread over more than 130 officesthroughout the country.

OSHA works to assure the safety and health of allof America’s working men and women. Mostemployees in the nation come under OSHA’s juris-diction. Other users and recipients of OSHA servic-es include: occupational safety and health profes-sionals, the academic community, lawyers, journal-ists, and personnel of other government entities.

Part of OSHA’s mission is to provide assistance toemployers to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards. OSHA provides a vast array of informational andtraining materials focusing on numerous safetyand health hazards in the workplace.

For more information, visit OSHA’s website atwww.osha.gov.

OSHA stands ready to help both employers andemployees in ensuring a safe and healthy work-place.

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IntroductionThe Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970created the Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration to help employers and employeesreduce injuries, illnesses and deaths on the job inAmerica. Since then, workplace fatalities havebeen cut by more than 60 percent and occupa-tional injury and illness rates have declined 40percent. At the same time, U.S. employment hasmore than doubled and now includes over 115million workers at 7.2 million worksites.

OSHA provides national leadership in occupation-al safety and health. The agency seeks to findand share the most effective ways to help preventworker fatalities, and prevent workplace injuriesand illnesses.

When employees stay whole and healthy, busi-nesses also benefit. They experience lower work-ers’ compensation insurance costs, reduced med-ical expenditures, decreased payout for return-to-work programs, fewer faulty products, and lowercosts for job accommodations for injured workers.There are also indirect benefits such as increasedproductivity, lower costs for training replacementworkers and decreased costs for overtime.

OSHA’s impactSince OSHA’s creation in 1970, the nation hasmade substantial progress in occupational safetyand health. OSHA and its many partners in thepublic and private sectors have for example: • Cut the work-related fatality rate to historic

lows for 2002 to 2004;• From 2003 to 2004, reduced the number of

workplace injuries and illnesses by 4 percentand lost workday case rates dropped by 5.8percent in that same period;

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• Virtually eliminated brown lung disease in thetextile industry;

• In 2005, OSHA conducted close to 39,000inspections and issued just over 85,000 cita-tions for violations;

• In 2004, the Consultation Program made over31,000 visits to employers.

OSHA’s continuing roleSignificant hazards and unsafe conditions stillexist in U.S. workplaces. Each year:• Almost 5,200 Americans die from workplace

injuries in the private sector;• Perhaps as many as 50,000 employees die

from illnesses in which workplace exposureswere a contributing factor;

• Nearly 4.3 million people suffer non-fatal work-place injuries and illnesses; and

• The cost of occupational injuries and illnessestotals more than $156 billion.

What OSHA does OSHA uses three basic strategies, authorized bythe Occupational Safety and Health Act, to helpemployers and employees reduce injuries, illness-es, and deaths on the job: • Strong, fair, and effective enforcement;• Outreach, education, and compliance assis-

tance; and• Partnerships, Alliances and other cooperative

and voluntary programs.

Based on these strategies, OSHA conducts a widerange of programs and activities to promoteworkplace safety and health. The agency: • Encourages employers and employees to

reduce workplace hazards and to implementnew safety and health management systemsor improve existing programs;

• Develops mandatory job safety and healthstandards and enforces them through worksite

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inspections, and, sometimes, by imposing cita-tions, penalties, or both;

• Promotes safe and healthful work environ-ments through cooperative programs includ-ing the Voluntary Protection Programs, OSHAStrategic Partnerships, and Alliances;

• Establishes responsibilities and rights foremployers and employees to achieve bettersafety and health conditions;

• Supports the development of innovative waysof dealing with workplace hazards;

• Establishes requirements for injury and illnessrecordkeeping by employers, and for employermonitoring of certain occupational illnesses;

• Establishes training programs to increase thecompetence of occupational safety and healthpersonnel;

• Provides technical and compliance assistance,and training and education to help employersreduce worker accidents and injuries;

• Works in partnership with states that operatetheir own occupational safety and health pro-grams; and

• Supports the Consultation Programs offeredby all 50 states, the District of Columbia,Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam and theNorthern Mariana Islands.

OSHA Coverage

The OSH Act covers private sector employersand their employees in the 50 states and certainterritories and jurisdictions under federal authori-ty. Those jurisdictions include the District ofColumbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands,American Samoa, Guam, Northern MarianaIslands, Wake Island, Johnston Island, and theOuter Continental Shelf Lands as defined in theOuter Continental Shelf Lands Act.


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The OSH Act covers employers and employeeseither directly through Federal OSHA or throughan OSHA-approved state program.

Who is not coveredThe OSH Act does not cover:• The self-employed;• Members of immediate family of farm employ-

ers that do not employ outside workers;• Worker conditions that are regulated under

worker safety or health requirements of otherfederal agencies;

• Employees of state and local governments;some states have their own occupational safe-ty and health plans that cover these workers.

Federal worker coverageSection 19 of the OSH Act makes federal agencyheads responsible for providing safe and healthfulworking conditions for their employees. OSHAconducts federal workplace inspections inresponse to employee reports of hazards.

The OSH Act also requires federal agencies tocomply with standards consistent with those forprivate sector employers. Under a 1998 amend-ment to the Act, it covers the U.S. Postal Servicethe same as any private sector employer.

State and local government worker coverageOSHA provisions cover the private sector only.However, some states have their own OSHA-approved occupational safety and health pro-grams. These state programs cover state andlocal government employees.

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State Programs

State safety and health programsState plans are OSHA-approved job safety andhealth programs operated by individual statesinstead of Federal OSHA. The OSH Act encour-ages states to develop and operate their own jobsafety and health plans and precludes stateenforcement of OSHA standards unless the statehas an approved plan. OSHA approves and moni-tors all state plans. The state plans must be atleast as effective as Federal OSHA requirements.

State plans covering the private sector also mustcover state and local government employees.OSHA rules also permit states and territories todevelop plans that cover only public sector (stateand local government) employees. In these cases,private sector employment remains under FederalOSHA jurisdiction. Twenty-two states and territo-ries operate complete plans and four cover onlythe public sector. These states are listed belowand on the OSHA website at www.osha.gov.

State program coverageStates with approved plans cover most privatesector employees as well as state and local gov-ernment workers in the state. Federal OSHA con-tinues to cover federal employees and certainother employees specifically excluded from astate’s plan; for example, in some states thosewho work in maritime industries and on militarybases.

The following states have OSHA-approved StatePlans:• Alaska • Hawaii • Arizona • Indiana • California • Iowa• Connecticut • Kentucky


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• Maryland • Puerto Rico • Michigan • South Carolina• Minnesota • Tennessee• Nevada • Utah• New Jersey • Vermont• New Mexico • Virgin Islands• New York • Virginia• North Carolina • Washington• Oregon • WyomingNOTE: The Connecticut, New Jersey, New Yorkand Virgin Islands plans cover public sector (stateand local government) employment only.

Standards & Guidance

RequirementsIn general, OSHA standards require that employers:• Maintain conditions or adopt practices reason-

ably necessary and appropriate to protectworkers on the job;

• Be familiar with and comply with standardsapplicable to their establishments; and

• Ensure that employees have and use personalprotective equipment when required for safetyand health.

Hazards addressedOSHA issues standardsfor a wide variety ofworkplace hazards,including:• Toxic substances;• Harmful physical

agents;• Electrical hazards;• Fall hazards;• Trenching hazards;• Hazardous waste;• Infectious diseases;

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• Fire and explosion hazards;• Dangerous atmospheres; • Machine hazards; and• Confined spaces.

In addition, where there are no specific OSHAstandards, employers must comply with the OSHAct’s “general duty clause. ” The general dutyclause, Section 5(a)(1), requires that each employ-er “furnish ... a place of employment which [is]free from recognized hazards that are causing orare likely to cause death or serious physical harmto his employees. ”

The Standards-Setting Process

Deciding to develop a standardOSHA can begin standards-setting procedures onits own initiative or in response to petitions fromother 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 represen-tatives; and

• Any other interested parties.

Each spring and fall, the Department of Laborpublishes in the Federal Register a list of all regu-lations that have work underway. The RegulatoryAgenda provides a schedule for the developmentof standards and regulations so that employers,employees, and other interested parties can knowwhen they are expected.


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How OSHA develops standards

OSHA publishes its intention to propose, amend,or revoke a standard in the Federal Register, eitheras: • A Request for Information or an Advance

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking or announce-ment of a meeting to solicit information to beused in drafting a proposal; or

• A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which setsout the proposed new rule’s requirements andprovides a specific time for the public torespond.

These actions are posted online at www.regula-tions.gov. Interested parties may submit writteninformation, comments and evidence. In addition,OSHA may also schedule a public hearing to con-sider various points of view.

After reviewing public comments, evidence andtestimony, OSHA publishes:• The full text of any standard amended or

adopted and the date it becomes effective,along with an explanation of the standard andthe reasons for implementing it; or

• A determination that no standard or amend-ment is necessary.

Input from other government agenciesOther government agencies can recommend stan-dards to OSHA. The OSH Act established theNational Institute for Occupational Safety andHealth in the Department of HHS as the researchagency for occupational safety and health. NIOSHconducts research on various safety and healthproblems, provides technical assistance to OSHA,and recommends standards for OSHA’s consider-ation. (For more information, call (800) 35-NIOSH orvisit the agency’s website at www.cdc.gov/ niosh).

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Input from small businessThe Small Business Regulatory EnforcementFairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA), gives small busi-nesses help in understanding and complying withOSHA regulations and allows them to have moreof a voice in developing new regulations. UnderSBREFA, OSHA must:

• Produce Small Entity Compliance Guides forsome agency rules;

• Be responsive to small business inquiriesabout complying with the agency’s regulations;

• Have a penalty reduction policy for small busi-nesses;

• Involve small businesses in developing pro-posed rules expected to significantly affect alarge number of small entities through SmallBusiness Advocacy Review Panels; and

• Give small businesses the opportunity to chal-lenge in court agency rules or regulations thatthey believe will adversely affect them.

For more information, visit OSHA’s website atwww.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/sbrefa.html.

Advisory GroupsOSHA has several standing advisory committeesand ad hoc advisory committees that advise theagency on safety and health issues. These com-mittees include representatives of management,labor, and state agencies as well as one or moredesignees of the Secretary of Health and HumanServices (HHS). Members also may include repre-sentatives of occupational safety and health pro-fessions and the general public.

The two standing, or statutory, advisory commit-tees are:• The National Advisory Committee on

Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH),


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which advises, consults with, and makes rec-ommendations to the U.S. Secretaries of Laborand HHS on matters regarding administrationof the OSH Act; and

• The Advisory Committee on ConstructionSafety and Health (ACCSH), which advises theSecretary of Labor on construction safety andhealth standards and other matters.

Other continuing advisory committees include:• The Federal Advisory Council on Occupational

Safety and Health (FACOSH), which advisesthe Secretary of Labor on all aspects of federalagency safety and health; and

• The Maritime Advisory Committee forOccupational Safety and Health (MACOSH),which advises the Secretary of Labor on work-place safety and health programs, policies andstandards in the maritime industry.

OSHA may occasionally form short-term advisorycommittees to advise the agency on specific issues.

Guidelines versus standardsA guideline is a tool to assist employers in recog-nizing and controlling hazards. It is voluntary andnot enforceable under the OSH Act. Failure toimplement a guideline is not itself a violation ofthe OSH Act’s general duty clause.

Guidelines can be developed quickly and can bechanged easily as new information becomesavailable with scientific advances. Guidelinesmake it easy for employers to adopt innovativeprograms to suit their workplaces.

Reporting

OSHA’s reporting requirementsAll employers must report to OSHA within eighthours of learning about:

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• The death of any employee from a work-relat-ed incident; and

• The in-patient hospitalization of three or moreemployees as a result of a work-related incident.

In addition, employers must report all fatal heartattacks that occur at work. Deaths from motorvehicle accidents on public streets (except thosein a construction work zone) and in accidents oncommercial airplanes, trains, subways or busesdo not need to be reported.

These reports may be made by telephone or inperson to the nearest OSHA area office listed atwww.osha.gov or by calling OSHA’s toll-free num-ber, (800) 321-OSHA (6742).

Employers may be subject to other reportingrequirements in other OSHA standards as well.

OSHA’s recordkeeping requirementsThe Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970(OSH Act) requires covered employers to prepareand maintain records of occupational injuries andillnesses. OSHA is responsible for administeringthe recordkeeping system established by the Act.The OSH Act and recordkeeping regulations pro-vide specific recording and reporting require-ments which comprise the framework for thenationwide occupational safety and health record-ing system.

Under this system, it is essential that data record-ed by employers be uniform and accurate toassure the consistency and validity of the statisti-cal data which is used by OSHA for many purpos-es, including inspection targeting, performancemeasurement, standards development, resourceallocation, Voluntary Protection Program (VPP)and Safety and Health Recognition Program(SHARP) eligibility, and “low-hazard” industry


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exemptions. The data will also aid employers,employees, compliance officers and consultantsin analyzing the safety and health environment atthe employer's establishment.

OSHA Enforcement Activities

Carrying out our missionEnforcement plays an important part in OSHA’sefforts to reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, andfatalities. Through OSHA’s Site-Specific Targetingand Enhanced Enforcement programs, the agencysends a clear message that it takes its missionseriously. When the agency finds employers whofail to uphold their employee safety and healthresponsibilities, OSHA deals with them strongly.

In addition, OSHA administers and supports acomprehensive field occupational safety andhealth guidance and compliance assistance effortwithin a variety of industry sectors including gen-eral industry, maritime, construction, and health.OSHA also administers and evaluates occupation-al safety and health programs for all federal agencies, assisting them in providing safe andhealthful working conditions for their employees.

OSHA also sets rules for the Federal AdvisoryCouncil on Occupational Safety and Health, admin-isters an anti-discrimination program to protect therights of employees to seek safe and healthfulworking conditions, and operates the cargo gearaccreditation program for certifying vessels’ cargogear and shore-based material handling devices.

OSHA carries out its enforcement activitiesthrough its 10 regional offices and 90 area offices.OSHA’s regional offices are located in Boston, NewYork City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas,Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco and Seattle.

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Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP)

• OSHA’s Enhanced Enforcement Program tar-gets employers who have a history of the mostsevere safety and health violations.

• This approach helps OSHA focus on employ-ers who willfully and repeatedly expose theiremployees to the most serious hazards, refuseto correct violations and violate their safetyand health agreements.

• The EEP’s concentration on high gravity viola-tors strengthens the agency’s enforcement pro-gram and enhances the focus on corporate-wide offenders.

The OSHA Whistleblower Program

To help ensure that employees are free to partici-pate in safety and health activities, Section 11(c)of the OSH Act prohibits any person from dis-charging or in any manner retaliating or discrimi-nating against any employee because the employ-ee has exercised rights under the Act. Theserights include complaining to OSHA and seekingan OSHA inspection, participating in an OSHAinspection, and participating or testifying in anyproceeding related to an OSHA inspection.

“Discrimination” can include the followingactions: • Firing or laying off • Blacklisting • Demoting • Denying overtime or promotion • Disciplining • Denial of benefits • Failure to hire or rehire • Intimidation • Reassignment affecting promotion prospects • Reducing pay or hours


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To file a complaint under Section 11(c), contactthe nearest OSHA office within 30 days of the dis-crimination. Discrimination complaints cannot befiled online.

OSHA also administers the whistleblowing provi-sions of thirteen other laws protecting employeesfrom retaliation for reporting violations of varioustrucking, airline, nuclear, pipeline, environmental,and corporate fraud and securities laws. Eachstatute has its own deadline and form of filing.For details, see www.osha.gov/dep/oia/whistle-blower or contact OSHA.

Filing a Complaint

Hazardous workplace complaintsIf your workplace has unsafe or unhealthful work-ing conditions, you may want to file a complaint.Often the best and fastest way to get it correctedis to notify your supervisor or employer.

Employees also may file a complaint by phone,mail, e-mail, or fax with the nearest OSHA officeand request an inspection. You may also askOSHA not to reveal your name. To file a com-plaint, call (800) 321-OSHA (6742) or contact thenearest OSHA regional, area, state plan, or con-sultation office listed at www.osha.gov. The tele-typewriter (TTY) number is (877) 889-5627.

You can also file a complaint online. Most onlinecomplaints may be resolved informally over thephone with your employer. Written, signed com-plaints submitted to OSHA area or state planoffices are more likely to result in onsite OSHAinspections. Complaints from employees in stateswith an OSHA-approved state plan will be for-warded to the appropriate state plan for response.If you are concerned about confidentiality, you

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should file your complaint from either your homecomputer or one in your local library.

Download the OSHA complaint form, complete it,and then fax or mail it to your local OSHA officeor simply contact your local OSHA office toreceive a copy of the complaint form. Include yourname, address, and telephone number so that wecan contact you. (NOTE: To view and print theOSHA complaint form, you must have the AdobeAcrobat Reader on your computer.)

Discrimination complaintsIf you believe that your employer has discriminat-ed against you because you exercised your safetyand health rights, contact your local OSHA officeright away. Most discrimination complaints fallunder the OSH Act, which gives you only 30 daysto report discrimination. Some of the other lawshave complaint-filing deadlines that differ fromOSHA’s, so be sure to check. For complete infor-mation visit www.osha.gov.

Outreach, Education and Training, and Compliance Assistance

Outreach materials on OSHA’s websiteOSHA’s website provides extensive informationabout the agency as well as standards, interpreta-tions, directives, technical advisors, complianceassistance, and additional information. The sitealso includes electronic assistance tools, such aseTools and interactive Expert Advisors, informationon specific health and safety topics, videos, andother information for employers and employees.The OSHA website’s address is www.osha.gov.


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In addition, OSHA’s website includes several special features: • Spanish-language pages that provide work-

place safety and health information in Spanish;• A Small Business page, designed to increase

awareness among small business ownersabout their responsibilities under the OSH Act,and resources to help them at www.osha.gov/smallbusiness.

• A Compliance Assistance page that providesa portal to OSHA’s compliance assistance re-sources and information on OSHA’s coopera-tive programs.

• A Workers page that explains employees’rights and responsibilities under the OSH Act.

• A Teen Workers page that addresses safety andhealth issues for employees under the age of18.

• An OSHA Training Institute Education Centerspage that provides information such as courselistings, events, FAQs and a list of all theEducation Centers in each OSHA region.

These and other web-based resources are avail-able at www.osha.gov.

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OSHA Training and EducationOSHA’s Training Institute in Arlington Heights, IL,provides basic and advanced courses in safetyand health for federal and state compliance offi-cers, state consultants, federal agency personneland private sector employers, employees andtheir representatives.

The OSHA Training Institute also has establishedOSHA Training Institute Education Centers (notfunded by OSHA) to address the increaseddemand for its courses from the private sectorand from other federal agencies. These centersare nonprofit colleges, universities and otherorganizations that have been selected after a com-petition for participation in the program.

The education centers help administer OSHA’sOutreach Training Program — the agency’s pri-mary way to train workers in the basics of occupa-tional safety and health. Those who complete aone-week OSHA training course are authorized toteach 10-hour or 30-hour courses in construction


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or general industry safety and health standards.These individuals go on to train thousands morestudents each year.

OSHA also provides funds to nonprofit organiza-tions, through grants, to conduct workplace train-ing and education in subjects where OSHAbelieves there is a lack of workplace training.Grants are awarded annually. Grant recipients areexpected to contribute 20 percent of the totalgrant cost.

For more information on grants, training and edu-cation, contact the OSHA Training Institute, Officeof Training and Education, 2020 South ArlingtonHeights Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005, (847)297-4810 or see “Training” on OSHA’s website atwww.osha.gov.

Compliance assistance materialsOSHA’s Compliance Assistance Specialists pro-vide general information about OSHA standardsand compliance assistance resources. Theyrespond to requests for help from a variety ofgroups, including small businesses, trade associa-tions, union locals and community and faith-based groups. There is one ComplianceAssistance Specialist in each OSHA Area Office instates under federal jurisdiction.

OSHA publicationsOSHA has an extensive publications program.The agency publishes booklets, fact sheets andcards detailing various facets of OSHA policy andregulations.

Many publications are now available in Spanishas well as English to ensure that Spanish-speak-ing employees also have access to importantworkplace safety and health information.

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All OSHA publications can be downloaded at nocost from the agency’s website at www.osha.gov.In addition, most are available in hardcopy form,some at no cost from OSHA and others for pur-chase from the U.S. Government Printing Office.For a list of available publications, visitwww.osha.gov, call (800) 321-OSHA (6742), orfax to (202) 693-2498.

OSHA’s Cooperative Programs

Voluntary, cooperative relationships amongemployers, employees, unions, and OSHA can bea useful alternative to traditional OSHA enforce-ment and an effective way to reduce employeedeaths, injuries, and illnesses. OSHA has severaltypes of cooperative programs: • Alliance Program• Consultation Program and the Safety and

Health Achievement Recognition Program(SHARP)

• OSHA Strategic Partnerships • Voluntary Protection Programs

Alliance ProgramOSHA’s Alliance Program, established in 2002,enables organizations committed to workplacesafety and health to collaborate with OSHA to pre-vent injuries and illnesses in the workplace. OSHAand its allies work together to reach out to, edu-cate, and lead the nation’s employers and theiremployees in improving and advancing work-place safety and health.

Benefits of participatingThere are many benefits to participating in anAlliance with OSHA. Through this program,organizations will:• Build trusting, cooperative relationships with

the agency;


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• Network with others committed to workplacesafety and health;

• Access resources to maximize employee safetyand health protection; and

• Gain recognition as a proactive leader in safetyand health.

Eligible groupsAlliances are open to a variety of groups, includ-ing:• Trade or professional organizations;• Businesses;• Labor organizations;• Educational institutions; and• Government agencies.

In some cases, organizations may be cooperatingwith OSHA for the first time. In others, they maybe building on existing relationships with theagency that were developed through other coop-erative programs such as strategic partnerships,the Voluntary Protection Programs, and consulta-tion.

How Alliances workAlliance agreements do not include an enforce-ment component, such as an exemption fromgeneral scheduled inspections or monitoring vis-its. Alliances are also different from other cooper-ative programs because their agreements are notworksite-based; instead they focus on entireindustries or hazards within industries. However,OSHA and the participating organizations mustdefine, implement, and meet a set of short- andlong-term goals that fall into three categories: • Training and education;• Outreach and communication;• Promoting the national dialogue on workplace

safety and health.

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After an Alliance is signedOSHA and the program participants will form animplementation team. The team, consisting ofOSHA and the organization’s representatives, willdevelop strategies and begin implementing pro-grams or processes for meeting the defined goals.

For more information about national Alliances,contact OSHA’s Office of Outreach Services andAlliances at (202) 693-2340 or visit www.osha.gov/alliances. For information about regional or localAlliances, contact the appropriate regional officelisted on the website at: www.osha.gov, or call(800) 321-OSHA (6742).

OSHA Consultation ServiceOSHA’s Consultation Service is a free service thatenables employers to identify potential hazards attheir worksites and ways to correct them, improvetheir occupational safety and health managementsystems, and even qualify for a one-year exemp-tion from routine OSHA inspection. The service isdelivered by state governments using well-trainedprofessional staff. Most consultations take placeon-site, though limited services away from theworksite are available.

OSHA's Consultation Service provides on-siteassistance in developing and implementing effec-tive workplace safety and health programs thatemphasize preventing employee injuries and ill-nesses. OSHA's comprehensive consultationassistance includes an appraisal of: • Mechanical systems, physical work practices,

and environmental hazards of the workplace;and

• Aspects of the employer's present job safetyand health program. Employers also mayreceive training and education services as wellas limited assistance away from the worksite.


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Consultation assistance is available to smalleremployers (with fewer than 250 employees at afixed site and no more than 500 employeesnationwide). Consultation programs are fundedlargely by OSHA and run by state agencies at nocost to the employer who requests help. OSHAdoes not propose penalties or issue citations forhazards identified by the consultant. The employ-er must correct all serious hazards and potentialsafety and health violations which the consultantidentifies. However, if an employer does not cor-rect violations identified through consultationassistance, the consultant may refer the employerfor a possible inspection. The employer’s nameand firm as well as any information about theworkplace will not be routinely reported to OSHAenforcement staff.

SHARPBy working with the OSHA Consultation Program,certain exemplary employers may request partici-pation in OSHA’s Safety and Health AchievementRecognition Program (SHARP). To be eligible for

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SHARP participation, employers must receive acomprehensive consultation visit, have injury andillness rates below the industry average, demon-strate exemplary achievements in workplace safe-ty and health by abating all identified hazards,and develop and implement an excellent safetyand health program.

Employers accepted into SHARP may receive anexemption from OSHA programmed inspec-tions— but not from OSHA investigations of com-plaints or accidents—for one year.

For more information about consultation assis-tance in your state, visit www.osha.gov/SHARP.

OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP)OSHA Strategic Partnerships are voluntary, writ-ten, long-term agreements to form cooperativerelationships between OSHA and groups ofemployers, employees, employees’ union repre-sentatives, and sometimes other stakeholders (forexample, trade and professional associations, uni-versities and other government agencies). OSPsaim to have a measurable, positive impact on theAmerican workplace by encouraging, assisting,and recognizing partners’ efforts to eliminate seri-ous hazards and to achieve a high level of employ-ee safety and health.

These partnerships help participants: • Establish effective safety and health manage-

ment systems; • Train managers and employees to recognize,

and then eliminate or control, hazards commonto their industry and their particular worksite;

• Give employees the opportunity to becomeinvolved meaningfully in their own protection;and

• Create ways for partners to share expertiseand other resources.


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How partnerships improve worker safetyand healthMany OSHA Strategic Partnerships are designedto lead to the development and implementation ofcomprehensive workplace safety and health man-agement systems. OSHA has found that a sys-tems approach is the best strategy for reducingdeaths, injuries and illnesses on the job. Otherpartnerships focus on the elimination or control ofa specific industry hazard.

Benefits of participatingParticipating in an OSHA Strategic Partnershipoffers such benefits as: • Declines in workplace injuries and illnesses,

and consequent reductions in workers’ com-pensation and other injury- and illness-relatedcosts;

• Improved employee motivation to work safely,leading to better quality and productivity;

• Development or improvement of safety andhealth management systems;

• Positive community recognition and interac-tion; and

• Partnership with OSHA.

Voluntary Protection ProgramsVoluntary Protection Programs (VPP) representone part of OSHA’s effort to extend employee pro-tection beyond the minimum required by OSHAstandards. There are three VPP programs: Star,Merit, and Star Demonstration. OSHA designedthem to:• Recognize outstanding achievement of

employers and employees who are workingtogether to provide high-quality worker protec-tion by implementing effective safety andhealth management systems;

• Motivate other employers to achieve excellentsafety and health results in the same outstand-ing way; and

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• Establish a cooperative relationship betweenemployers, employees, and OSHA.

How VPP can help employers and employeesVPP participation can mean:• Improved employee motivation to work safely,

leading to better quality and productivity;• Lost workday case rates generally 50 percent

below industry averages;• Reduced workers’ compensation and other

injury- and illness-related costs;• Positive community recognition and interaction;• Further improvement and revitalization of

already good safety and health managementsystems; and

• Partnership with OSHA.

How OSHA monitors VPP sitesOSHA reviews an employer’s VPP application andconducts an onsite review to verify that the safetyand health systems described are operating effec-tively at the site. OSHA continues to conduct reg-ular evaluations of approved sites.

All participants must submit to their OSHAregional office in February of each year a copy ofthe most recent annual evaluation conducted atthe site. This evaluation must include the injuryand illness numbers and rates for the past year.

OSHA inspections at VPP and SHARP sitesSites participating in VPP and SHARP are exemptfrom programmed inspections. OSHA doesrespond, however, to employee complaints, seri-ous accidents, or significant chemical releasesthat may occur according to routine enforcementprocedures.

28 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION

Business Feedback

Employers and employees are recognizing thatOSHA has changed and that the agency wants towork cooperatively with them to help improvetheir workplaces.

“We can’t make a quality product with an unsafeprocess.” – Ken Lindgren, DACO, Inc.

“It makes sense to run an effective safety andhealth program because your people deserve it,your customers demand it, and your businesspractices and future will not be there without it.”– Dan Fergus, Genesee Stampings

“Safety is a pass/fail item, in that if you fail atsafety, the other stuff doesn’t matter.” – Mac

Armstrong, Air Transport Association

“I want to see and hear my grandchildren, andbecause of the safety program at Curtis Lumber,I’m going to be able to.” – John Meier, Curtis

Lumber

“We feel that it is our duty to have every employ-ee return home to his or her family sound andhealthy every day.” – John Obel, NexTech

“The health and safety of our people has alwaysbeen of paramount importance to us. Our goal ofzero incidents required teamwork like OSHA’sStrategic Partnership Program, combined withrelentlessly pursuing the elimination of unsafeactions and conditions.” – Walter Berry, Bollinger

Shipyards, Inc.

Additional small business success stories may befound on the OSHA small business web page at:www.osha.gov/smallbusiness.

For further information

call (800) 321-OSHA or visit www.osha.gov

29ALL ABOUT OSHA

OSHA National Office Directorates

Directorate of Construction

The Directorate of Construction develops workplacesafety standards, guidance and outreach to ensuresafe working conditions for the nation’s constructionworkers. (202) 693-2020.

Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs

The Directorate of Cooperative and State Programscoordinates OSHA’s role in carrying out training andeducation for employers and employees, implement-ing consultation and cooperative programs, andcoordinating the agency’s compliance assistance andoutreach activities, as well as the agency’s relationswith state plan states. (202) 693-2200.

Directorate of Enforcement Programs

The Directorate of Enforcement Programs provides abalanced program for OSHA by establishing andmaintaining a comprehensive occupational safetyand health compliance guidance and assistance pro-gram and coordinating OSHA’s inspection andenforcement programs. (202) 693-2100.

Directorate of Evaluation and Analysis

The Directorate of Evaluation and Analysis providesagency-wide evaluation and analytic leadership andservices in support of OSHA program, legislative,regulatory, statistical, and policy development activi-ties. (202) 693-2400.

Directorate of Science,Technology and Medicine

The Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicinesupports other OSHA staff by providing specializedtechnical expertise and advice. (202) 693-2300.

Directorate of Standards and Guidance

The Directorate of Standards and Guidance con-tributes to ensuring safe and healthful working con-ditions in covered workplaces through developmentof workplace standards, regulations and guidance.(202) 693-1950.

The Office of Communications

The Office of Communications is responsible formedia inquiries and publications development. (202) 693-1999.

Documents

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 · 4 Introduction The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to help employers