Occupational Health and Safety Act

The objective of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard is to inform workers of potentially dangerous substances in the workplace and to train them on how to protect themselves against potential dangers. 

OSHA is entrusted with the major responsibility for workplace safety and workers health (Wang, 1994). It is responsible for the means by which chemicals are contained (TPG, 1995) through the inspection of workplaces to ensure compliance and enforcement of applicable standards under OSHA. It is also the means by which guidelines have evolved for the destruction of chemicals used in chemical laboratories (Lunn and Sansone, 1994 Studt, 1995). 

The goal of OSHA is to ensure that no employee will suffer material impairment of health or functional capacity, due to a lifetime occupational exposure to chemicals and hazardous substances. The statute imposes a duty on employers to provide employees with a safe workplace environment, free of known hazards that may cause death or serious bodily injury. 

The statute covers all employers and their employees in all the states and federal territories, with certain exceptions. Generally, the statute does not cover self-employed persons, farms employing solely family members, and those workplaces covered under other federal statutes. Refiners must evaluate whether the chemicals they manufacture and sell are hazardous. Under the General Duty Clause of OSHA, employers are required to provide an environment that is free from recognized hazards that could cause physical harm or death. 

All employers are required to develop, implement, and maintain at the workplace a written hazard communication program. The program must include the following components (1) a list of hazardous chemicals in the workplace, (2) the methods the employer will use to inform employees of the hazards associated with these chemicals, and (3) a description of how the labeling, material safety data sheet (MSDS), and employee training requirements will be met. 

In April 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970 was enacted and resulted in the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the N ational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The purpose of this Act is to ensure that workers are provided with workplaces free from recognized safety, health, and environmental hazards. OSHA is part of the Department of Labor (DOL) and responsible for developing and enforcing rules to ensure workplace safety and health. NIOSH is a research agency, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), imder the Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH is responsible for developing and establishing new and improved OSH standards and identify potential hazards of new work technologies and practices. 

Since 1970, OSHA has issued more than 500 rules dealing with all aspects of worker safety and protection in the workplace. Recent amendments to the 1970 Act require employers to notify employees of potential workplace health hazards, including chemicals. OSHA regulates exposure to about 400 hazardous and toxic substances in the woikplace that can cause harm. Under Section 18 of the OSH Act, states are allowed to assume the re-sponsibihty for developing and enforcing their own safety and health programs. To date, 25 states have OSHA-approved state plans.  

Under the OSH Act, employers are required to provide employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards. Employers are also required to maintain accurate records of employees exposure to potentially toxic materials required to be monitored or measured, conduct periodic inspections, and notify employees if they are exposed to toxic materials at higher levels than those prescribed by existing health and safety regulations. 

In 1968, 78 coal miners were killed in Farmington, West Virginia, when an explosion ripped through the Consolidated Coal Company Mine. Only a few miles from the infamous Monongah site, this disaster devastated the whole community. A town, a state, and a nation were outraged and called for federal intervention into the conditions killing citizens in the workplace. 

The Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 was passed 72-0 in the U.S. Senate, establishing the Mine Enforcement Safety Administration (MESA), later known as the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). MSHA governs safety within the coal mines as OSHA does for general industry and construction (discussed below). 

In 1970, the Williams-Steiger (Occupational Safety and Health) Act was passed, establishing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Prior to the establishment of OSHA, the responsibility for occupational safety and health rested primarily with state governments. 

Although more than 90 million Americans were working then, until 1970 no uniform and comprehensive provisions existed for their protection against workplace safety and health hazards. In 1970, Congress considered annual figures such as these  

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHAct) of 1970 was passed by Congress. . to assure so far as possible every working 

Do not go to a fire, explosion, accident, or vapor release scene unless you have specific duties or responsibilities there. 

Smoking and matches are not permitted in most sections of a plant. 

Drink only from designated water fountains and potable water outlets. 

Report to the designated equipment owner before entering an operating area. Stay in your assigned area. 

Review and follow all safety rules and procedures, including those relating to personal protective equipment hazard communication respiratory protection permit system 

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Occupational Safety and Health Act. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), as amended in 1990, encourages reduction of occupation safety and health ha2ards and promotes safe and healthful conditions. 

AH Department of Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) rules and regulations should be reviewed prior to handling hydrochloric acid and all the regulations must be followed. AH employees handling HCl must be trained to ensure that they are familiar with the appropriate materials safety data sheets and appHcable regulations. 

Industrial hygienists work closely with members of several other professions concerned with workplace health and safety, eg, occupational medicine, occupational health nursing, and safety engineering. AH of these groups are involved in the implementation of the laws that regulate workplace health and safety. In the United States the principal law is the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) (1) enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. 

U.S. Department ofLabor, Occupational Safety and Health Act, PE91 -596, Washington, D.C., 1970. 

The principal function of OSHA is the protection of people, eg, employees, visitors, and temporary help, in the workplace. Regional offices are in the same areas as those of the EPA (see Table 1). The principal law covered by OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) covers a broad range of issues relating to worker health and safety, many of which impact the power generation industry (16,17). The Act sets standards designed to protect worker health and safety, particularly in industrial settings. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration, organized under the U.S. Department of Labor, implements and enforces OSHA standards and periodically updates poHcies governing worker health and safety. 

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act Title III (STkRA Title III) Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)... 

The demand for trichloroethylene grew steadily until 1970. Since that time trichloroethylene has been a less desirable solvent because of restrictions on emissions under air pollution legislation and the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Whereas previously the principal use of trichloroethylene was for vapor degreasing, currentiy 1,1,1-trichloroethane is the most used solvent for vapor degreasing. The restrictions on production of 1,1,1-trichloroethane [71-55-6] from the 1990 Amendments to the Montreal Protocol on substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone and the U.S. 

Exposure Limits. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) of 1990 Hsts a multitude of acetates, phthalates, formates, and acrylates along with the corresponding permissible exposure limits and threshold limit values (76). The PEL data is Hsted in Table 2. If there is potential for exposure to an organic ester for which PEL or TLV data has been identified, then an exposure limit lower than that Hsted is usually selected for working in that environment. 

Formaldehyde has been rated as a possible carcinogen by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) rules and should be handled with due caution. It is also a strong lacrymator and choking respiratory irritant. It irritates the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes [76]. Since it is used for tanning leather, it is obvious that fonnaldehyde has a high potential for reactions with proteins. Formaldehyde gas is flammable and most formalin solutions contain significant amounts of methanol, which is also volatile, toxic, and flammable. 

The motivation for ensuring good indoor air quality should be obvious. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 emphasizes the need for standards to protect the health and safety of workers. To fulfill this need, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed a strategy for disseminating information that assists employers to protect their workers from workplace hazards. This strategy includes the development of Special NIOSH Hazard Reviews, which support and complement the major standards development and hazard documentation activities of the Institute. These documents deal with... 

The required notification must be provided at ieast annually In writing. Acceptable forms of notice are, for example, a letter, product labeling, and product literature distributed to customers. If you are required to prepare and distribute a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the mixture under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, your section 313 notification may be attached to the MSDS or the MSDS may be modified to include the required information. (A sample letter and recommended text for inclusion in an MSDS appear on pages E-4 and E-5 of this appendix.)... 

ORP Oxidation reduction potential - the degree of completion of a chemical reaction by detecting the ratio of ions in the reduced form to those in the oxidized form as a variation in electrical potential measured by an ORP electrode assembly. OSHA The Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) is a law designed to protect the health and safety of industrial workers and treatment plant operators. It regulates the design, construction, operation and maintenance of industrial plants and wastewater treatment plants. The Act does not apply directly... 

This concentration should be compared against permissible exposure limits estabhshed by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act) and allowable discharges limits set by federal (EPA) and local emissions regulations. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was enacted by Congress in 1970 and established tlie Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which addressed safety in tlie workplace. At tlie same time tlie USEPA was created. Both USEPA and OSHA are mandated to reduce tlie exposure of Itazardous substances over Umd, sea, and air. Tlie OSH Act is limited to conditions that exist in the workplace, where its jurisdiction covers both safety and health. Frequently, both agencies regulate tlie same substances but in a different manner as they are overlapping environmental organizations. 

Interior wiring design and installation for most commercial and industrial uses should follow the National Electrical Code (NEC) which has been a national standard since 1970 with the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). Some localities, however, may not accept the NEC and require that their own (more stringent) standards be followed. 

The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances. The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) [70] is a database of toxicological information compiled, maintained, and updated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 mandated the program. RTECS now contains over 133,000 chemicals as NIOSH strives to fulfill the mandate to list all known toxic substances and the concentrations at which toxicity is known to occur. This database is available for searching through the GOV. Research Center (GRQ service at http // grc.ntis.gov by subscription or by a day pass. 

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