Page 45 - May-Jun 19

FEATURE

1. What is OSHA? and enforced the law against those 2. Who does the
who put workers at risk. Our standards, Occupational Safety
In 1970, the United States Congress enforcement actions, compliance
and President Richard Nixon created assistance and cooperative programs and Health Act cover?
the Occupational Safety and Health have saved thousands of lives and
Administration (OSHA), a national public prevented countless injuries and illnesses. PRIVATE SECTOR WORKERS
health agency dedicated to the basic
proposition that no worker should have to Looking to the future, OSHA is committed OSHA covers most private sector
choose between their life and their job. to protecting workers from toxic employers and workers in all 50
chemicals and deadly safety hazards at states, the District of Columbia, and
Passed with bipartisan support, the work, ensuring that vulnerable workers other U.S. jurisdictions either directly
creation of OSHA was a historic moment in high-risk jobs have access to critical through Federal OSHA or through
of cooperative national reform. The OSHA information and education about job an OSHA-approved state plan.
law makes it clear that the right to a hazards, and providing employers with
safe workplace is a basic human right. vigorous compliance assistance to State plans are OSHA-approved job
promote best practices that can save lives. safety and health programs operated
Since OSHA’s first day on the job, by individual states instead of Federal
the agency has delivered remarkable Although our task is far from complete, OSHA. The OSH Act encourages states to
progress for our nation. Workplace our progress gives us hope and develop and operate their own job safety
injuries, illnesses and deaths have fallen confidence that OSHA will continue to and health programs and precludes state
dramatically. Together with our state make a lasting difference in the lives enforcement of OSHA standards unless
partners, OSHA has tackled deadly of our nation’s 130 million workers, the state has an approved program. OSHA
safety hazards and health risks. We have their families and their communities. approves and monitors all state plans
established common sense standards and provides as much as fifty percent
of the funding for each program. State-
run safety and health programs must
be at least as effective as the Federal
OSHA program. To find the contact
information for the OSHA federal or state
plan office nearest you, call 1-800-321-
OSHA (6742) or go to www.osha.gov.

Federal OSHA provides coverage to
certain workers specifically excluded
from a state’s plan, for example, those
in some states who work in maritime
industries or on military bases.
Any interested person or group,
including individual workers, with a
complaint concerning the operation or
administration of a state program may
submit a complaint to the appropriate
Federal OSHA regional administrator
(regional offices are listed at the end of
this guide). This is called a Complaint
About State Program Administration
(CASPA). The complainant’s name will
be kept confidential. The OSHA regional
administrator will investigate all such
complaints, and where complaints are
found to be valid, may require appropriate
corrective action on the part of the state.

www.ieci.org | May/June 2019 | Insights Magazine 43