Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), agency of the U.S. Department of Labor established in 1971 pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Its main responsibilities are to provide for occupational safety by reducing hazards in the workplace and enforcing mandatory job safety standards and to implement and improve health programs for workers. OSHA regulations and standards apply to most private businesses in the U.S.

From its beginnings, OSHA has been a controversial agency that has drawn much criticism from both business and labor groups. Businesses have charged that the agency's regulations are difficult to understand and often unreasonably rigid; that penalties are unfair, paperwork is excessive, and the cost of compliance is burdensome to small companies. Labor, on the other hand, has called OSHA's enforcement procedures weak and complained that the agency has failed to reduce occupational hazards. Since 1977 the agency has made an effort to concentrate on dangerous industries and to eliminate out-of-date regulations. Meanwhile, OSHA is being challenged by some businesses in the courts.

The agency, directed by the assistant secretary for occupational safety and health, is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It has ten regional offices located throughout the U.S.