Workplace safety: Occupational Safety and Health Act

Every day in countries around the world, children labor long hours and workers are exposed to toxic materials and dangerous working conditions. Workplace safety and workers' rights remain severely deficient in many parts of the world. Thankfully, the United States has some of the strictest regulations and laws that help provide for the equitable pay and treatment of U.S. workers and impose regulations on businesses related to workplace safety and health issues.

In this blog post, we'll take a look at the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This legislative act has been influential in helping promote and monitor safety and health issues affecting U.S. workers. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed into law in 1970. Since its passage 44 years ago, the laws encompassed in the act have helped protect workers from suffering exposure to numerous unsafe and hazardous working conditions. Funding appropriated through the act has financed research and studies into important workplace safety and health matters and helped bring about regulatory changes with regard to the use and disposal of toxic and hazardous materials, sanitation practices, occupational noise levels and the use of safety mechanisms.

Additionally, provisions related to the Occupational Safety and Health Act have provided employers and employees education and training about important occupational safety and health issues. These laws have also served to empower U.S. workers to stand up for their rights and report unsafe working conditions.

While serious health and safety deficiencies still exist in many U.S. industries, changes are consistently made to existing laws and regulations to reflect new research findings and provide additional protections to employees.