RIGHTS AND

RESPONSIBILITIES

Employers must:

• Follow all relevant OSHA safety and health 

standards.

• Find and correct safety and health hazards.

• Inform employees about chemical hazards

through training, labels, alarms, color-coded 

systems, chemical information sheets and other

methods. 

• As of January 1, 2015, notify OSHA within 

8 hours of a workplace fatality or within 24 hours

of any work-related inpatient hospitalization, 

amputation or loss of an eye (1-800-321-OSHA

[6742]); www.osha.gov/report_online).

• Provide required personal protective equipment

at no cost to workers.* 

• Keep accurate records of work-related injuries

and illnesses.

• Post OSHA citations, injury and illness summary

data, and the OSHA Job Safety and Health - It’s

The Law poster in the workplace where workers

will see them. 

• Not retaliate against any worker for using their

rights under the law.

* Employers must pay for most types of required personal protective equipment.

Employees have the right to:

• Working conditions that do not pose a risk of 

serious harm. 

• Receive information and training (in a language 

workers can understand) about chemical and

other hazards, methods to prevent harm, and

OSHA standards that apply to their workplace.

• Review records of work-related injuries and 

illnesses.

• Get copies of test results done to find and

measure hazards in the workplace.

• File a complaint asking OSHA to inspect their

workplace if they believe there is a serious 

hazard or that their employer is not following

OSHA rules. When requested, OSHA will keep all

identities confidential.

• Use their rights under the law without retaliation.

If an employee is fired, demoted, transferred or

retaliated against in any way for using their rights

under the law, they can file a complaint with

OSHA. This complaint must be filed within 30

days of the alleged retaliation. 

AT-A-GLANCE

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to 

prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. This law 

created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which

sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards. OSHA

also provides information, training, and assistance to employers and workers. 

Under the OSH Act, employers have the responsibility to provide a 

safe workplace.
OSHA 

STANDARDS

OSHA standards are rules that describe the 

methods employers are legally required to follow

to protect their workers from hazards. Before

OSHA can issue a standard, it must go through a

very extensive and lengthy process that includes

substantial public engagement, notice and comment. The agency must show that a significant

risk to workers exists and that there are feasible

measures employers can take to protect their

workers.

Construction, General Industry, Maritime, and 

Agriculture standards protect workers from a wide

range of serious hazards. These standards limit

the amount of hazardous chemicals workers can

be exposed to, require the use of certain safe

practices and equipment, and require employers

to monitor certain workplace hazards. 

Examples of OSHA standards include requirements to provide fall protection, prevent trenching

cave-ins, prevent exposure to some infectious 

diseases, ensure the safety of workers who enter

confined spaces, prevent exposure to such 

harmful substances as asbestos and lead, put

guards on machines, provide respirators or other

safety equipment, and provide training for certain

dangerous jobs. 

Employers must also comply with the General

Duty Clause of the OSH Act. This clause requires

employers to keep their workplaces free of serious

recognized hazards and is generally cited when no

specific OSHA standard applies to the hazard.

INSPECTIONS

Inspections are initiated without advance notice, 

conducted using on-site or telephone and facsimile investigations, performed by highly trained

compliance officers, and based on the following

priorities: 

• Imminent danger. 

• Catastrophes – fatalities or hospitalizations. 

• Worker complaints and referrals. 

• Targeted inspections – particular hazards, high

injury rates. 

• Follow-up inspections. 

On-site inspections can be triggered by a complaint from a current worker or their representative

if they believe there is a serious hazard or that

their employer is not following OSHA standards 

or rules. Often the best and fastest way to get a

hazard corrected is to notify your supervisor or

employer. 

When an inspector finds violations of OSHA 

standards or serious hazards, OSHA may issue 

citations and fines. A citation includes methods

an employer may use to fix a problem and the

date by when the corrective actions must be 

completed.

Employers have the right to contest any part of

the citation, including whether a violation actually

exists. Workers only have the right to challenge

the deadline for when a problem must be resolved.

Appeals of citations are heard by the independent

Occupational Safety and Health Review 

Commission.

HELP FOR EMPLOYERS

OSHA offers free confidential advice. Several 

programs and services help employers identify

and correct job hazards as well as improve their

injury and illness prevention programs. 

Free On-Site Consultation

OSHA provides a free service, On-Site Consultation, for small businesses with fewer than 250

workers at a site (and no more than 500 employees nationwide). On-site Consultation services are

separate from enforcement and do not result in

penalties or citations. Each year, OSHA makes

more than 29,000 consultation visits to small

businesses to provide free compliance assistance. By working with the OSHA Consultation 

Program, certain exemplary employers may 

request participation in OSHA’s Safety and 

Health Recognition Program, SHARP. To locate 

the OSHA Consultation Office nearest you, visit

www.osha.gov/consultation or call 1-800-321-

OSHA (6742).

Compliance Assistance

OSHA has compliance assistance specialists

throughout the nation who can provide general 

information about OSHA standards and 

compliance assistance resources. Contact your

local OSHA office for more information or visit

www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/

cas.html.

Cooperative Programs

OSHA offers cooperative programs to help prevent 

fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in the workplace. 

Alliance Program – OSHA works with groups 

committed to worker safety and health to develop

compliance assistance resources and educate

workers and employers. OSHA Strategic Partnerships (OSP) – Partnerships are formalized through

tailored agreements designed to encourage, 

assist, and recognize partner efforts to eliminate

serious hazards and achieve model workplace
safety and health practices. Voluntary Protection

Programs (VPP) – The VPP recognize employers

and workers in private industry and federal agencies who have implemented effective safety and

health management programs and maintain injury

and illness rates below the national average for

their respective industries. In VPP, management,

labor, and OSHA work cooperatively and proactively to prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.

INFORMATION AND EDUCATION

OSHA Training Institute

The OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Centers are a national network of nonprofit organizations authorized by OSHA to deliver occupational

safety and health training to private sector 

workers, supervisors, and employers. 

Educational Materials

OSHA has a variety of educational materials and

electronic tools available on its website at These

include utilities such as expert advisors, electronic

compliance assistance, videos and other information for employers and workers. OSHA’s software

programs and eTools walk you through safety and

health issues and common problems to find the

best solutions for your workplace. 

OSHA’s extensive publications help explain OSHA

standards, job hazards, and mitigation strategies

and provide assistance in developing effective

safety and health programs.

Visit www.osha.gov/publications or call 1-800-

321-OSHA (6742). 

QuickTakes

OSHA’s free, twice-monthly online newsletter,

QuickTakes, offers the latest news about OSHA 

initiatives and products to assist employers and

workers in finding and preventing workplace 

hazards. To sign up for QuickTakes, visit

www.osha.gov/quicktakes.

WHO DOES OSHA COVER

Private Sector Workers

OSHA covers most private sector employers and

workers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia,

and other U.S. jurisdictions either directly through

Federal OSHA or through an OSHA-approved state

program. State-run safety and health programs

must be at least as effective as the Federal

OSHA program. 

State and Local Government Workers

State and local government workers are not 

covered by Federal OSHA, but they do have 

protections in states that operate their own 

programs. The following states have approved

state programs: AK, AZ, CA, CT, HI, IA, IL, IN, KY,

MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, SC, TN, UT,

VA, VT, WA, WY, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 

Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and the

Virgin Islands programs cover public sector (state

and local government) workers only. Federal OSHA

covers private sector workers in these jurisdictions. 

Federal Government Workers

OSHA’s protection applies to all federal agencies.

Although OSHA does not fine federal agencies, it

does monitor federal agencies and responds to

workers’ complaints. 

Not Covered by the OSH Act:

Self-employed workers; and workplace hazards

regulated by another federal agency (for example,

the Mine Safety and Health Administration, 

the Department of Energy, or Coast Guard).

CONTACT OSHA 

For questions or to get information or advice, to 

report an emergency, report a fatality or catastrophe, order publications, sign up for OSHA's 

e-newsletter QuickTakes, or to file a confidential

complaint, contact your nearest OSHA office, visit

www.osha.gov or call OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA

(6742), TTY 1-877-889-5627.

For assistance, contact us. 

We are OSHA. We can help. 

It’s confidential.

OSHA 3439-B-12R 2014

U.S. Department of Labor

www.osha.gov