The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) is a US federal law that prioritizes worker safety over business profitability. It requires employers to provide a safe work environment and grants the Secretary of Labor jurisdiction to create safety regulations. OSHA created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to monitor and enforce safety laws, conduct workplace inspections, and assist businesses in upgrading to meet current standards. The law’s impact on worker safety was significant, ushering in a new era in occupational safety.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act, also known as OSHA, is a United States federal law that regulates the protection of workers from occupational hazards. A landmark piece of legislation, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was one of the first pieces of U.S. legislation to emphasize the importance of worker safety over business profitability. Among many provisions, OSHA required employers to provide a safe work environment and granted the Secretary of Labor jurisdiction to create standards and policies related to occupational safety regulations.
The mid-20th century was a boom time for American business and commercial enterprises. Tremendous technological developments have led to major changes in factory and workplace life, including the integration of machines for mass production and the use of chemicals. The downside of this innovation was that new products and ideas were often used with no regard for worker safety or health. A growing list of workplace deaths, chemical-induced illnesses, and horrific injuries has led to calls from union leaders and workers to enact federal legislation to protect workers. Thanks to heavy lobbying, a similar bill introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the early 1960s failed to pass, but President Nixon and the US legislature successfully passed a compromised version of the bill in 1970, creating the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
A major function of the Occupational Safety and Health Act was to create a government agency, headquartered in the Department of Labor, charged with monitoring, standardizing, and enforcing safety laws. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, commonly known as OSHA, has also gained the ability to conduct workplace inspections, enforce fines against violators, and assist some businesses in upgrading to meet current standards. Another organization, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), was created to manage safety-related research.
While the practical effect of the Occupational Safety and Health Act created a government mechanism to manage workplace safety standards, the philosophical impact of the bill may have had an even greater effect. After the Industrial Revolution, many industrial countries struggled with the sometimes opposing problems of corporate profitability and worker safety. While early legislation had limited working hours and created wage standards, few laws assumed the employer’s duty to provide for the worker’s safety while on the job. Insisting on the importance of this duty, the passage of the OSH law ushered in a new era in occupational safety.
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