Some careers fill a role – others fulfill a purpose. Every day, workers across the country face real hazards, and behind the scenes are dedicated professionals working to ensure they return home safely. At OSHA, that mission drives everything. Whether inspecting job sites or shaping safety and health programs, each role plays a part in protecting lives and strengthening workplaces nationwide.

OSHA is looking for people wanting to serve and make an impact. Opportunities are available for safety and occupational health specialists, industrial hygienists, safety engineers, safety technicians, management, and program analysts. Veterans may also be eligible for special hiring authorities. If you’re interested in joining the team, explore opportunities at osha.gov/careers, and register today for our April 2 Virtual Career Fair.

At the end of the day, it’s about people. When you join the OSHA team, you’re not just starting a job, you’re stepping into a mission that makes a difference and helps protect America’s workers.

This week is the Stand Up 4 Grain Safety, a team effort between OSHA and our industry Alliance partners focused on keeping grain industry employees, contractors, and customers safe from the risks they face every day. Grain handling can be hazardous, including fires and explosions caused by grain dust buildup, as well as engulfment in grain bins – one of the most tragic and preventable causes of fatalities in the industry. Throughout the week, you can join virtual training sessions, including some in Spanish, to learn about the long-established and practical steps to prevent these tragedies and keep workers safe on the job.

Every day, workers performing construction and repairs along our nation’s highways, roads, bridges, and tunnels are often exposed to hazards from outside and inside their work zones. One of the most common of these is being struck by passing motorists who fail to follow posted speed limits and caution signs. During the annual Work Zone Awareness Week, April 20-24, we join our roadway work zone safety Alliance partners to raise awareness about the important role the public plays in protecting the workers who make it possible to commute to their jobs, run errands and visit loved ones. Go to the official website to learn how you can participate and help make work zones safer for everyone.

The partnership between OSHA and CareerSafe has grown into a long-term Ambassador relationship rooted in a shared mission to protect young workers. Since forming their Alliance in 2018 and renewing it in 2020, they have created impactful resources like Table Talks and Your Job, Your Rights, led national efforts such as the #KeepTeenWorkersSafe campaign with OSHA and NIOSH, and expanded outreach through virtual events, media features, and a network of over 4,800 schools and career organizations. Through ongoing collaboration, information-sharing, and training, CareerSafe continues to amplify OSHA’s safety message, helping equip teens, families, and educators with the knowledge to build safer workplaces for the future.

At the Stand Up for Ag Safety event held this month by OSHA and our Alliance partner, the South Dakota Agricultural Cooperatives Safety Directors, we joined agriculture and grain handling experts to share safety and health information that can help save lives. Attendees heard from industry leaders on key topics such as proper load securement; safe pulling and towing of equipment; slips, trips, and falls; and livestock safety.

A live grain entrapment rescue demonstration on a mobile trailer gave participants a hands-on look at how quickly emergencies can happen – and how the right training can make all the difference. The event reached more than 90 stakeholders who work directly in the agricultural and grain handling industries and will take what they learned back to their worksites to share with their peers. More than 60 students also attended and gained valuable knowledge they can use in their future careers.

What does an inclusive workplace look like in practice and how can employees better support workers with diverse needs? Watch the video above to hear Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling and Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Julie Hocker discuss the Job Accommodation Network (JAN)—a free Labor Department resource that helps foster workplaces that accommodate all American workers, including people with mental health needs. JAN helps employers and workers identify and implement the workplace accommodations that enable every American worker with a disability to succeed on the job.

Our Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) recognize employers and workers who have strong safety and health programs and maintain low injury rates. In VPP, employers, workers, and OSHA work together to prevent injuries and illnesses through training, hazard prevention, and active involvement from both management and employees. To join, employers apply to OSHA and complete an onsite review by safety and health experts.

We evaluate the injury and illness rates of VPP participating worksites annually, and the latest report for 2024 showed that out of the more than 1,000 site-based participants evaluated, the recordable injury and illness rate was more than 50 percent below the nationwide industry averages measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Injuries and illnesses resulting in lost days of work were nearly 60 percent lower. The injury and illness rates for VPP construction and mobile work sites were even lower. But the most important number is the 330,000 workers at these VPP sites that continue to come home safe.

During OSHA Assistant Secretary Dave Keeling's talk with Blaine Hoffman on The SafetyPro Podcast this month, he stressed that in safety and health, good faith is more than just intent. It should show up in the actions you take: making honest efforts to comply, protecting workers, and doing the right thing.

In case you missed this insightful conversation about Assistant Secretary Keeling's thoughts on safety culture and leadership, and how OSHA is emphasizing collaboration to improve workplace safety, you can still check it out online.

Access to clear, reliable safety information is essential for building safe workplaces - and OSHA continues to expand the tools available to support that effort. As part of the OSHA CARES initiative, the new workplace poster on job safety and health that we announced in QuickTakes last month is just one of many publications we have to put important workplace safety information in the hands of people who need it. Below are some other recent releases, and hundreds more fact sheets, brochures, booklets and posters can be downloaded or ordered on our publications' webpage.

• Responding to OSHA Inquiries on Complaints and Referrals: Best Practices for Small Employers - Fact Sheet (English and Español)
• Extension Cords: 5 Things to Know (English and Español)
• Roll Up! Electrical Safety in Construction (English and Español)
• Safety Champions Fact Sheet: (English and Español)
• Grain Safety Stand-Up Poster (English and Español)
• OSHA/NIOSH Hazard Alert - Worker Exposure to Silica during Countertop Manufacturing, Finishing and Installation (English and Español: Revised)

❓How can I participate in OSHA’s Workers Memorial events in Washington, D.C.?

🗣️ The week leading up to Workers Memorial Day (April 28), we invite you to join us at the U.S. Department of Labor building to participate in a series of events and observances that will recognize and honor our fallen and injured workers, support the loved ones left behind, and provide information to help prevent workplace tragedies in the future.

April 20 - 22: Stand up for Safety and Health In-Person Training and Workers Memorial Safety Summit. Register here to attend.

April 20 - 22: Stand up for Safety and Health Virtual Training. Register separately to attend each training online: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

April 23: Workers Memorial Ceremonies (1 p.m. ET) and Vigil (7 p.m. ET): Register here to attend in person. The afternoon ceremonies will be streamed live at www.osha.gov.

April 24: Workers Memorial Panel Discussion - Voices of Those Left Behind. Register here to attend in person or join virtually.

Unable to come to Washington, D.C.? Register to join our virtual events listed above. Visit our Workers Memorial webpage to learn more.

Have a minute? Watch this short video to hear about our OSHA CARES initiative. You can also visit our website for more information.

We appreciate your commitment to keeping informed about that affect the safety and health of America's workers.