Health & safety

In 1970, The U.S. Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act (amended in 1990), which consolidated a myriad of state and federal rules and laws addressing worker health and safety into one major legislative act. That law created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which is housed in the Department of Labor and headed by an assistant secretary for Safety and Health. Prior to the passage of this legislation, the rules regarding the safety and health of American workers varied considerably from state to state and across the diversity of agricultural and industrial workplace settings. OSHA's mission was to bring some regularity to safety and health standards, and thereby to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect the health of all 100 million American workers. OSHA's task is to work with the 61/2 million employers affected by the legislation and with counterpart agencies (there are currently 25) at the state level. OSHA receives scientific and technical ...