Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) oversees workplace safety and health issues by enforcement of standards meant to prevent work related injuries, illnesses and deaths.

Created by the U.S. Congress and signed into existence by President Richard Nixon in 1970, OSHA is an agency of the United States Department of Labor.  Here are some of the changes that OSHA has regulated in industrial safety:

1. Safety guards placed on all moving parts – Guards were required to diminish workplace accidents with most moving parts that were accessible in the normal course of operation
2. Regulation on chemical exposure levels
3. “Right to Know” standard which requires a hazard communication program, requiring developing and communicating information on the hazards of harmful chemicals used in the workplace.

Related online resources to read:

• OSHA Office of Education and Training
• Confined Space, a weblog covering workplace safety and health issues