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 furnish their employees employment and a place of employment which are 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 provides information, training and assistance to workers and employers.
The mission of OSHA 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 have approximately 2,100 inspectors, plus complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support personnel spread over more than 200 offices throughout 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:
- 4,764 workers were killed on the job in all sectors in 2020.
- An average of nearly 14 workers die every day.
- 2.7 million recordable workplace injuries and illnesses were reported by private industry employers in 2020.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-1. Employers must furnish their employees employment and a place of employment free of _____.
You forgot to answer the question!