OSHA Overview

On December 29, 1970, Congress enacted the Occupational Safety and Health Act to regulate safety and health conditions for working men and women. This act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and provided the tools necessary to reduce workplace injury and illness. It is a nationwide, federal program designed to protect our workforce from death, injury and illness on the job. It also provides the means for states to develop their own plans to cover private sector work places. (1) Secretary of Labor James Hodgson called this act “the most significant legislative achievement for workers in a decade.” (2) OSHA's purpose and task were to develop a program to carry out the Occupational Safety and Health Act.