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Directorate of Standards and Guidance

The mission of the Directorate of Standards and Guidance is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions in covered workplaces throughout the United States. Our mission is accomplished through the development of workplace standards, regulations, and guidance that address significant safety and health risks to workers. All rules developed by the Directorate consider feasibility, economic effects, paperwork burden, affected industries, and impact on small businesses, as required by the OSH Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act, and applicable executive orders.

  • The directorate:
    • Is OSHA's largest National Office directorate by workforce.
    • Is divided into eleven (11) offices responsible for various standards and guidance activities in areas including chemical, physical, and biological hazards; engineering and safety; maritime/shipyards; information quality; economic feasibility and technological feasibility.
    • Is responsible for rulemaking and developing guidance products related to health and safety topics.
    • Works closely with other OSHA directorates to produce materials to help employers and workers maintain safe and healthful working conditions.

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Director's Information

Dorothy Dougherty is the Director of the Directorate of Standards and Guidance. Ms. Dougherty joined OSHA 18 years ago as a Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Specialist. Since joining OSHA, Ms. Dougherty has held a variety of positions in OSHA's National Office.

Ms. Dougherty began her career with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1992 as a Chief of the Compliance and Technical Guidance Division for the Office of Federal Agency Programs. She has worked as an Agency Liaison Officer in the Office of the Secretary; an Executive Assistant for the OSHA Assistant Secretary; a Deputy Director in the Directorate of Health Standards Programs; a Deputy Director in the Directorate of Standards and Guidance; and in October of 2006 as the Director for the Directorate of Standards and Guidance. Before coming to OSHA, Ms. Dougherty worked for MSHA for 9 years as an Industrial Hygienist and Coal Mine Inspector.

Dorothy Dougherty-Director
Dorothy Dougherty
Director

Director's Update
Presentation (PPT*)

Resources

Contact Us

Address

U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA
Directorate of Standards & Guidance
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20210

Directory of Offices & Staff

DSG Rulemaking

DSG Guidance

Note: This is not a complete list of DSG guidance products. For assistance locating additional guidance materials, please contact OSHA at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742) or 1-877-889-5627 (TTY).

Accessibility Assistance Contact OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 for assistance accessing PDF and PPT documents.

* These files are provided for downloading only.

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