Workplace Health and Safety

In addition to setting standards with respect to the minimum wage, overtime, and other factors affecting worker pay, the federal government also sets standards for workplace health and safety. Since its creation by Congress in 1970, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the U.S. Department of Labor has been charged with ensuring safe and healthy working conditions. OSHA accomplishes its mission through standard setting and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance. According to OSHA guidelines, employers must keep their workplaces free of known health and safety hazards. And workers have the right to speak up about hazards without fear of retaliation.

Changes in working practices, technology, and the environment create new occupational safety and health challenges. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic drove the development of new practices and processes for ensuring safety in the workplace. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidelines for preventing and reducing transmission among employees and maintaining healthy business operations and a healthy work environment. Extreme heat or other extreme weather conditions may increasingly present worker health and safety risks that employers will need to address.