What Is OSHA?

Imagine if you will, a factory full of machinery with no cover guards for the equipment. Imagine that factory being run by employees with no safety training and being managed by people with little to no regard for those employees’ health or well being. What you’re imagining isn’t too far off from what working conditions were like before the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This paper will cover the history of OSHA, who and what is covered under its acts and standards, and the effect it has had over the health and safety of millions of workers in the United States.

On December 29, 1970 Richard Nixon signed into law the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (U.S. Department of

Department of Labor). They began with five main industries and five main health hazards. Some of these industries included roofing and sheet metal work, marine cargo handling, and lumber and wood products (U.S. Department of Labor). One of the safety hazards was asbestos. This hazard was recognized as such a threat that it led to the first standard that OSHA ever passed – The 1972 OSHA Standard for Exposure to Asbestos (U.S. Department of Labor). The administration quickly began regulating many facets of workplace safety. Today OSHA is responsible for the oversight of construction work, maritime operations, agriculture, and general industry. The department has put standards in place to prevent falls on construction sites, prevent exposure to infectious disease in a laboratory setting, and to provide training for dangerous jobs in a language workers can understand (U.S. Department of

Since the formation of the agency OSHA has come under fire for having costs that far outweigh its benefits. Studies have found that those claims are baseless. A study done by Michael W. Toffel and David I. Levine found “companies subject to random inspections showed a 9.4 percent decrease in injury rates” (Blanding, 2012). This “decrease in injuries led to a 26 percent deduction in costs from medical expenses and lost wages” (Blanding, 2012). The facts are pretty clear, since the 1970’s worker deaths have dropped from 38 per day to 12 per day in 2014 (U.S. Department of Labor). And, work related illness and injury has decreased by 67 percent (U.S. Department of