tion or general industry safety and health standards.

OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers,

located throughout the country, offer OSHA

courses and seminars to the public. Courses run

from one-half day to four days and vary in price.

Topics include recordkeeping, machine guarding,

hazardous materials, ergonomics, and construction-related issues. OSHA also presents webcasts

on new rules, guidance documents, and technical

subjects. Course schedules are available on the

OSHA website.

In addition, OSHA awards training grants under

the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program to

nonprofit organizations to train employees and

employers to recognize, avoid, and prevent safety

and health hazards in their workplaces.

OSHA’s Cooperative Programs

OSHA offers a variety of programs under which

businesses, labor groups, and other organizations

can work cooperatively with the agency to help

prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in the

workplace.

Through OSHA’s Alliance Program, OSHA works

with groups committed to safety and health,

including businesses, trade or professional

organizations, unions, and educational institutions, to leverage resources and expertise to

develop compliance assistance tools and

resources and share information with employers

and employees to help prevent injuries, illnesses,

and fatalities in the workplace. OSHA and the

organization sign a formal agreement with goals

that address training and education, outreach and

communication, and promotion of the national

dialogue on workplace safety and health.

General Information

The OSHA website at www.osha.gov provides

information on OSHA’s activities and programs,

including laws and regulations, Web-based training tools called “eTools,” posters and other publications, education and training programs, cooperative programs, and agency contact information. Online users can read OSHA’s e-newsletter,

QuickTakes, which provides timely information

about agency activities.

A variety of OSHA publications are available on

the agency website and through the OSHA

Publications Office. Publications can be ordered

online or by calling (800) 321-OSHA.

In addition, employers and employees can call

(800) 321-OSHA toll-free for workplace safety and

health information or assistance 24 hours a day.

Employers and employees can also submit questions electronically to OSHA by clicking on the

“Contact Us” link at the bottom of each OSHA

webpage.

Non-English-speaking Employers

and Employees

OSHA maintains a Spanish-language webpage

at www.osha.gov/as/opa/spanish/index.html and

a page with compliance assistance resources for

employers with Hispanic employees at www.osha.

gov/hispanic. In addition, the agency has

Spanish-speaking operators available at (800)

321-OSHA. Many OSHA publications, training

materials, and videos are available in Spanish.

Education and Training Options

The OSHA Outreach Training Program trains individuals to teach others the basics of occupational

safety and health. After taking a one-week course,

trainers teach 10- or 30-hour courses on construcFactSheet

OSHA Compliance Assistance

OSHA offers a variety of compliance assistance products and services to help

employers comply with OSHA requirements and prevent or reduce workplace fatalities, illnesses, and injuries. These resources include the OSHA website, publications

and guidance documents, training materials and courses, cooperative programs,

free On-site Consultation services, and Compliance Assistance Specialists. If you

are in a state with an OSHA-approved State plan, you may be subject to different or

additional requirements, and other compliance assistance resources and cooperative programs may be available to you.
OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program offers free

and confidential assistance to small and mediumsized businesses in all states across the country,

with priority given to high-hazard worksites.

Consultation services are totally separate from

enforcement and do not result in penalties or

citations. The service is largely funded by OSHA

and delivered by state governments using welltrained professional staff. Employers can use this

service to identify and correct hazards at their

worksites and improve their safety and health

management systems. Additionally, the On-site

Consultation Program recognizes small employers that operate exemplary safety and health

management systems through the Safety and

Health Achievement Recognition Program

(SHARP). Active SHARP sites are exempt from

OSHA’s programmed inspections.

The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP)

provides the opportunity for OSHA to partner

with employers, employees, professional or trade

associations, labor organizations, state On-site

Consultation Programs, and/or other interested

stakeholders. OSHA Strategic Partnerships

(OSPs) are designed to encourage, assist, and

recognize efforts to eliminate serious hazards and

achieve model workplace safety and health practices. Each OSP develops a unique, formal agreement that establishes specific goals, strategies,

and performance measures. The OSPP is available

to all private sector industries and government

agencies in locales where OSHA has jurisdiction.

The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) are

OSHA’s premier recognition programs for

employers and employees who have implemented exemplary workplace safety and health management systems. A hallmark of VPP is the principle that management, labor, and OSHA work

together in pursuit of a safe and healthy workplace. On average, VPP participants have injury

and illness rates more than 50 percent below the

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) national average

for their industry. OSHA’s other VPP initiatives,

VPP Corporate (a streamlined process for large

organizations to bring sites into VPP) and VPP

Mobile (offered to employers with non-fixed

worksites), provide new opportunities to qualify.

The OSHA Challenge Pilot uses the VPP model as

a foundation to provide a roadmap to eligible

employers interested in implementing effective

safety and health management systems.

Volunteer Administrators help guide the participants through a three-stage process. Graduates

of OSHA Challenge receive recognition from

OSHA and an invitation to apply for VPP with

possible expedited approval. OSHA Challenge is

available to general industry and construction

employers in the private and public sectors under

OSHA’s Federal jurisdiction.

The Role of Compliance Assistance

Specialists

Compliance Assistance Specialists (CASs) in

each OSHA area office provide general information about OSHA standards and compliance

assistance resources. Small businesses, trade

associations, union locals, community and

faith-based groups, and others may call on

CASs to speak at seminars, workshops, and

other events. CASs promote OSHA’s cooperative programs, training opportunities, and

information and tools available on the OSHA

website or from the agency. CASs are not

involved in enforcement activities.

Additional Information

For compliance assistance products and services, call (800) 321-OSHA, visit the OSHA website

at www.osha.gov, or contact your nearest OSHA

regional, area or state office listed on the website.

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.

U.S. Department of Labor

www.osha.gov

(800) 321-OSHA

For more complete information:

DCSP 12/2008