Mission of OSH Act

Occupation Safety and Health Act was enacted in 1970 by the House of Representatives and Senate of the United States of America in the Congress Assembly. The act was signed into law by the president Richard M. Nixon (Goetsch, 2010). The mission of this act was to curb an increasing rate of hazards and diseases arising in the workplaces. OSH Act encouraged employees and employers to minimize health and safety hazards at their workplaces. It also motivated them to implement new health and safety programs as well as improve their existing programs. All this was aimed at making working environment safe and healthy. The act authorized the Labor Secretary to place mandatory occupation of health and safety standards appropriate to industries affecting commerce. One of its main tasks was creation of Heath Review Commission to perform the adjudicatory functions under the act (Goetsch, 2010).

OSH Act allowed health and safety researches to be done on the workplaces, inclusive of psychological aspects involved. It also aimed at creating methods, approaches and techniques for solving problems of occupational health and safety. Exploring of new ways to identify dormant diseases was encouraged. It was decided to carry out a research related to health hazards with respect to the occupational health and safety standards. Medical criteria were developed to ensure that employees do not suffer from various diseases caused by their experience at work.

According to Goetsch (2010), the rationale behind OSH Act was to ensure healthful and safe working environment for employees through approving enforcement of the standards created under the act. Its aim was also helping and encouraging the state in its attempt to ensure healthful and safe working conditions. Besides, providing research, education, information and training in the occupational field of health and safety were also important purposes related to the matters of employees’ health and safety.