Occupational Safety and Health Administration

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ) is a federal agency in the United States that was established to enforce the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 as a result of new occupational safety legislation (the OSH Act ) on April 28, 1971. It is intended to help reduce the number and consequences of occupational accidents . The agency reports to the US Department of Labor . Since 2006, the Undersecretary for Labor Edwin Foulke has been head of the agency .

To research working conditions, the law also created a National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH; comparable to the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ) and the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC, for example in German: Commission for the examination of Accidents at work) to negotiate violations of the law.

There are state departments and laws covering this area in 22 US states. American law provides for them to take effect when state laws are at least as strict as federal law. In 29 states and the federal agency mail (US Postal) exclusively the federal law apply. In Germany, the range of tasks corresponds to that of the labor inspectorate at the labor ministries of the federal states and the professional association accident insurance (a branch of the statutory social insurance , known for the accident prevention regulations ); at EU level roughly the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work .

Enacted regulations

After the juxtaposition of various laws and judgments at state and federal level in the early years, a consistent approach has now emerged. Some industrial safety regulations concern:

  1. Moving loads (Guards on all moving parts)
  2. Limit values for contact with chemicals ( permissible exposure limits , PEL, approx. 600 chemicals are affected)
  3. Protective clothing
  4. Technical rules (lockout / tagout) - especially when carrying out maintenance work
  5. a hazardous substance ordinance (confined space) - especially for safety when working in tanks etc. Ä.
  6. Ordinance on Hazardous Substances (Hazard Communication, comparable to the classification of dangerous goods ) at the workplace
  7. Process Safety Management (chemical handling)
  8. Infection Protection Act (Bloodborne Pathogens) - for healthcare workers especially against hepatitis B and HIV

Machine manufacturers from the EU region exporting to the USA are mostly confronted with the OSHA 29 CFR 1910 "Occupational Safety and Health Standards" (also known as OSHA 2206). The current official edition is 2012, but there are also commented versions (at slightly higher prices) from several technical publishers, most of which are 1 to 2 years older.

effectiveness

In the 40 years of its existence, the agency has punished companies in twelve cases for criminal violations. The OSHA is accused, among other things, of the fact that it is endowed with too few staff and rights. In addition, it took her far too many years to enact protective regulations . Trade unions were practically forced to sue for the adoption of protective regulations (one example is the hexavalent chrome standard).

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Reflections on OSHA's History. (PDF; 674 kB) In: OSHA 3360. US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, January 2009, accessed on May 23, 2012 (English).
  2. ↑ PART 1910 Occupational Safety and Health Standards. In: 29CFR 1910. US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration, accessed May 23, 2012 .
  3. ↑ OSHA General Industry Regulations. National Safety Compliance, Inc., accessed May 23, 2012 .

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