OSHAct protections

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHAct) is administered and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Both OSH A and OSHAct were created in December 1970, the same month the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) was created. Unlike the US EPA, OSHA is essentially an enforcement organization and most of its employees are inspectors who perform thousands of workplace inspections per year it is a division of the Department of Labor. The OSHAct assures, as far as possible, that all working men or women have risk-free working environments and imposes on employers the obligation to provide employees with workplaces that are free from recognized health and safety hazards and to maintain compliance with specific OSHA standards. 

Another important piece of US legislation is the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which has been in force since 1977. This Act (which is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA) provides the regulatory vehicle to control exposure to, and use of, industrial chemicals not covered by previous environmental laws covering food, drugs and pesticide chemicals. It thus has a wider field of application than the OSHAct, which is limited to occupational situations. TSCA has four major purposes ... 

In practice, occupational safety and health includes moral and economic issues. There is also a legal compulsion for companies to promote occupational safety and health. The United States government and governments worldwide require protection of employees from hazards that may result in injury, illness, or death. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, commonly known as the OSHAct, every employer in the United States is required to provide a safe and healthful workplace. 

As stated previously, the original OSHA standards and regulations have come from three main sources consensus standards, proprietary standards, and federal laws that existed when the OSHAct became law. Consensus standards are industry-wide standards developed by organizations. They are discussed and substantially agreed upon through industry consensus. OSHA has incorporated into its standards the standards of two primary groups the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Proprietary standards are prepared by professional experts from specific industries, professional societies, and associations. The proprietary standards are determined by a straight membership vote, not by consensus. 

Usually all employers and their employees are considered to be protected under the OSHAct, with the exception of... 

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