OSH ACT AND OSHA STANDARDS

Introduction

More than 90 million Americans spend their days on the job. They are our most valuable national resource. Yet, until 1970, no uniform and comprehensive provisions existed for their protection against workplace safety and health hazards. In 1970, Congress considered annual figures such as the following to support the need for worker protection legislation:

Job related accidents accounted for more than 14,000 worker deaths

Nearly 2½ million workers were disabled

Ten times as many person-days were lost from job- related disabilities as from strikes

Estimated new cases of occupational diseases totaled 300,000.

In response to the facts listed here, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed by a bipartisan Congress, ". . . to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources."

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