OSHA at 50
50 Years of Workplace Safety and Health
President Nixon signs the Occupational Safety and Health Act on December 29, 1970, which was enacted on April 28, 1971.
In its first half century, OSHA has helped transform America's workplaces in ways that have significantly reduced workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Learn more about the agency's five decades of progress and its efforts to continue fulfilling the promise of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
1970s
Established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA opens its doors on April 28, 1971. During its initial decade, OSHA issued the first standards for asbestos, lead, carcinogens, and cotton dust. The OSHA Training Institute, safety and health training grants, the On-Site Consultation Program, State Plans, and whistleblower protections for workplace safety are also established.
1970: Occupational Safety and Health Act signed.
1971: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Established
1972: First standard, on asbestos, adopted.
1972: OSHA Training Institute established to train compliance officers, federal personnel, and the general public on workplace safety and health.
1972: Construction safety standards issued.
1972: First state plans, or OSHA-approved safety and health programs operated by the state, start in South Carolina and Oregon.
1974: Vinyl chloride standard adopted, limiting workers' exposure to the flammable gas, a leading cause of liver cancer.
1975: Onsite Consultation Program established, offering free consultation services to small businesses to help them recognize workplace hazards and develop safety and health management systems.
1976: Coke oven emissions standard issued to limit workers' exposure to steel production emissions, a known cause of lung cancer.
1977: Diving standard adopted.
1978: Cotton dust standard issued to protect textile workers from brown lung disease.
1978: Lead standard issued, designed to protect American workers from exposure to lead, a toxin known for kidney disease, as well as damage to both the nervous and reproductive systems.
1978: Many Occupational Safety and Health Act provisions extended to federal employees
1980s
In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court affirms that workers have the right to refuse unsafe tasks. OSHA issues standards to give workers the right to know which chemicals they may be exposed to and require employers to provide worker medical and exposure records. The 1980s also see the creation of the Voluntary Protection Programs, new standards on safety testing and certification of workplace equipment, and important worker protections for combustible grain dust, trenching, noise, and hazardous energy.
1980: Supreme Court ruled OSH Act provides American workers right to refuse work deemed hazardous or causing serious injury without fear of retaliation.
1980: OSHA coverage for millions of Federal workers approved.
1980: OSHA issued Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records rule, requiring employers to provide workers and their doctors access to such information.
1981:Hearing conservation standard adopted, protecting workers exposed to noise levels above 85 decibels.
1982: Voluntary Protection Programs created, recognizing employers and workers who have implemented effective safety measures.
1984: Hazard Communication Standard adopted to give workers right to know which chemicals they may be exposed to in workplace.
1984: Ethylene oxide rule adopted, limiting worker exposure to the gas used as a sterilizing agent.
1986: Ground-fault Circuit Interrupter Standard adopted, providing greater safety at construction sites.
1987: Farmworkers Standard adopted, requiring employers to provide field workers toilets, potable drinking water, and handwashing facilities.
1987: Benzene Standard issued.
1987: Grain Handling Standard adopted to protect grain industry workers from combustible grain dust and suffocation hazards.
1988: Ergonomic Program Management Guidelines for Meatpacking Plants issued to reduce high rates of serious injuries and illnesses, especially cumulative trauma disorders.
1989: Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Standard issued to protect workers exposed to toxic substances.
1989: Lockout/Tagout Standard adopted to protect workers from unexpected startup of machinery or release of hazardous energy during service or maintenance.
1989: Excavation and Trenching Operations Standard adopted to protect construction workers from trenching and excavation hazards.
1990s
OSHA issues the Process Safety Management standard and provides new and stronger protections for workers from falls, bloodborne pathogens, toxic substances, and working in confined spaces, longshoring and marine terminals, and laboratories. Workers begin to receive safety and health training through the first OSHA Education Centers, and the agency expands collaboration with employers through its Strategic Partnership Program.
1990: Laboratory Safety Standard issued to protect laboratory workers who use hazardous chemicals.
1991: Bloodborne Pathogens Standard protects health care workers from HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B.
1992: Chemical Process Safety Management Standard issued to reduce the risk of deadly fires and explosions.
1993: Confined Spaces Standard issued to ensure safe procedures and permits for entry into confined spaces.
1994: Stronger Asbestos Standard issued to reduce permissible exposure limits.
1994: Logging Standard issued to define safety requirements covering all logging operations.
1995: Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program formed to recognize employers with exemplary safety and health programs.
1996: Construction Scaffold Safety Standard issued to define safety measures for workers on scaffolding.
1997: Methylene Chloride Standard issued to protect workers from exposure to this industrial chemical that increases risk of cancer and organ failure.
1998: Strategic Partnership Program created so OSHA can work with stakeholders to improve safety and health in respective areas.
2000s
Dedicated OSHA staff worked beside their federal, state, and local partners to protect the safety and health of the recovery workers after the unprecedented challenges America's workers faced following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. Workplace safety continues to improve through new standards to protect construction workers in steel erection and prevent exposure to hexavalent chromium.
2001: Steel Erection Standard issued to protect construction workers.
2001: OSHA monitors worker exposure to hazards during cleanup at both Ground Zero in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C..
2004: Alliance Program created to foster OSHA's relationships with organizations committed to workplace safety.
2004: Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment Standard issued to protect shipyard workers from fire hazards on vessels and at land-side facilities.
2006: Hexavalent Chromium Standard issued to reduce risk of lung cancer.
2007: Payment for Safety Equipment rule issued to require employers to provide workers with personal protective equipment.
2009: Global Harmonization System adopted to standardize hazard classification, labels and safety data sheets.
2010s +
OSHA helps protect workers performing response and cleanup activities in the aftermath of the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The agency issues standards for silica dust, cranes, confined spaces, and the classification and labeling of work-related chemicals. To address the number one cause of worker fatalities in the construction industry, OSHA launches the fall prevention campaign. And in 2020, OSHA launches historic response to protect workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2010: Severe Violator Enforcement Program established to inspect those employers with a history of violations.
2010: Cranes and Derricks Standard issued to prevent fatalities among crane and derrick operators.
2011: Directive for Fall Protection in Residential Construction issued.
2012: Hazard Communication Standard revised to improve quality, consistency, and clarity of information that workers receive regarding chemical hazards.
2014: Construction and General Industry Standards were updated to protect electric power, transmission and distribution, and electrical protective equipment.
2014: Annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction launched.
2014: Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illness standard was updated to require employers to report all fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye.
2015: Confined Spaces in Construction issued to provide construction workers in confined spaces similar protections to those in manufacturing and general industry.
2016: Final Rule on Respirable Crystalline Silica was issued to protect workers from silicosis, lung cancer, and other diseases.
2016: Annual Trench Safety Stand-Down launched.
2016: Walking-Working Surfaces Standard issued to improve worker protection from falls.
2017: Beryllium Standard issued to protect workers from pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
2018: Operator Certification Requirements in the Cranes and Derricks updated to clarify certification requirements for crane operators.
2019: OSHA co-created #MySafeSummerJob, a social media campaign to educate young workers on job safety, rights in the workplace, and voicing their concerns.
2020: OSHA launches historic response in January to protect workers during COVID-19 pandemic, and issues guidance to address the shortage of respirators.
2020 and Beyond
The new decade began with a challenge unlike any other faced by the American workforce as the coronavirus pandemic impacted workplace safety and health in unprecedented ways. OSHA acted quickly to protect the nation's workers through outreach and education efforts, ensuring compliance with agency standards, and collaborations with federal, state, and local authorities. The agency continues to work tirelessly to address the demands of this evolving health crisis.
Even with the dramatic improvements to workplace safety over the last five decades - and now with the nation responding to a global pandemic - OSHA's mission is as important as ever. Please join OSHA in making a renewed commitment to keeping workers safe and healthy - it's every worker's right.
