OSHA promulgates workplace safety standards, conducts inspections, issues citations, and maintains injury and illness recordkeeping requirements. States may operate approved plans with their own enforcement.
Standards address hazard communication, personal protective equipment, machine guarding, and industry-specific hazards.
Alternative Names:
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Why it Matters?
OSHA citations are frequently offered as evidence of negligence in workplace injury litigation, and admissibility varies by state. The statute expressly disclaims creating civil liability, which supports arguing that violations are not negligence per se, though many states admit them as evidence of the standard of care. Injury logs are separately valuable because they document prior similar incidents establishing notice.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Are OSHA violations negligence per se?
What OSHA records are useful?
