About OSHA
OSHA's Mission
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. Employers must provide each employee with employment and a workplace free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
The Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards. OSHA also offers information, training, and assistance to both workers and employers.
OSHA's mission is to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect the health of America's workers. The OSH Act states that workers have the right to a safe workplace and that it is the employer's responsibility to provide safe and healthy workplaces.
OSHA and its state partners employ about 2,100 inspectors, along with discrimination complaint investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support staff. These professionals are spread over more than 200 offices across the country. This staff establishes protective standards, enforces those standards, and reaches out to employers and employees through technical assistance and consultation programs.
Some of the things OSHA does to carry out its mission are:
- Developing job safety and health standards and enforcing them through worksite inspections.
- Providing training programs to increase knowledge about occupational safety and health.
Today, although occupational safety has come a long way, too many employees are still being injured and killed on the job. Let's take a look at some recent statistics:
- 5,070 workers died from work-related injuries in 2024.
- A worker died every 104 minutes from a work-related injury in 2024.
- Private industry employers reported 2.5 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2024.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-1. Employers must furnish their employees employment and a place of employment free of _____.
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