The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency that has been misunderstood since it was created in 1970. Many small business owners cringe when they hear an employee threatening to report them to OSHA. But if you stop thinking about OSHA as your enemy and start seeing them as your partner in business, your outlook on this subject will change.

What Is OSHA?

OSHA’s mission has always been the same: to make sure that the safety and health concerns of all American workers are being met. The agency has developed specific workplace standards and polices businesses to make sure these standards are being met. It also provides training and educational programs for small business owners and corporations and works to establish partnerships geared toward improving workplace safety and health.

According to OSHA, the agency’s mission is to assure the safety and health of America’s workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. Through a network of some 2,100 inspectors, as well as complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support personnel, the agency is well equipped to fulfill its lofty mission. There are more than two hundred OSHA offices that monitor workplace safety and health issues located throughout the United States.

What is OSHA Standards?

OSHA standards have been created by OSHA as a result of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act of 1970. These standards apply to each employer in the private sector, with the goal of assuring safe and healthful working conditions for all working Americans. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces these regulations.

Employers Covered by OSHA Standards
OSHA regulations cover all private-sector employers with one or more workers in all states and U.S. territories. The term “private sector employer” applies to any business with one or more employees engaged in a commercial or noncommercial activity that affects commerce. This definition includes not-for-profit organizations.

State OSHA Standards
OSHA regulations encourage states to develop their own safety and health plans, but state OSHA plans are required to be at least as stringent as the federal OSH Act. Currently, 23 states and territories, called “state plan” states, have their own plans, which apply to both private and public sectors, and preempt federal OSHA standards.

OSHA Regulations

To assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women; by authorizing enforcement of the standards developed under the Act; by assisting and encouraging the States in their efforts to assure safe and healthful working conditions; by providing for research, information, education, and training in the field of occupational safety and health; and for other purposes.
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OSHA Articles

The Multi-Employer Doctrine: End of the Line or a Chance for a Fresh Start?
The Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) decision, in a case involving home builder Summit Contractors, held that citing a general contractor solely because it is a so-called “controlling employer” is inconsistent with 29 CFR 1910.12(a), a regulation that governs the application of OSHA’s construction standards in 29 CFR Part 1926.
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OSHA and Small Businesses: A Winning Combination
Since 1971, OSHA has worked to ensure the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health.
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Federal Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Limits 30 Years of Precedent Concerning Multi-employer Worksite Doctrine
In April 2007, the OSHA Review Commission modified a 30-year precedent concerning the controlling employer duties on construction sites. This means that an employer who is engaged in construction work is now responsible for the safety and health of only its own employees and no longer must ensure that other employers at the worksite comply with occupational safety and health standards.
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