Question: What roles do OSHA and NIOSH play with respect to identifying hazards of hydraulic fracturing?

Answer: OSHA and the NIOSH have both been investigating worker safety and health hazards in oil and gas extraction, including chemical exposures during hydraulic fracturing operations. In general, OSHA acts in a regulatory capacity while NIOSH acts in a research capacity. OSHA has jurisdiction over the safety and health of workers, including workers involved in upstream oil and gas operations. OSHA's General Industry Standards (29 CFR 1910) and the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act both apply to the upstream industry. As part of the enforcement of these regulations, five OSHA regions located in areas of significant upstream activities use national, regional, and local emphasis programs to inspect oilfield worksites, including those that may have ongoing hydraulic fracturing operations. NIOSH made safety and health in the oil and gas extraction industry a priority focus area in 2005 by creating the Oil and Gas Extraction Council as a result National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). The Council includes OSHA and industry leaders working cooperatively to address occupational safety and health issues, including an existing lack of information on occupational dust and chemical exposures associated with hydraulic fracturing. NIOSH established specific industry partnerships and initiated the NIOSH Field Effort to Assess Chemical Exposures to Oil and Gas Extraction Workers. Exposure to silica during hydraulic fracturing has been the focus of the NIOSH study to date.