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Occupational Health and Safety Act - Why Does It Exist?

Published Wednesday, September 3, 2008 by bloggerblognet37044 | E-mail this post

If you are a laborer, you should know the about the general purpose of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Though this Act has been in place since 1970, it has changed drastically since then.

Essentially, the purpose of the Occupational Health and Safety Act is to protect all laborers that work for any type of (non-governmental) business. Prior to this act (signed by former President Nixon), an industrial workplace was not a safe environment for workers. The Act itself is incredibly interesting, though (quite surprisingly) it does not cover some of the most dangerous occupations out there.

The Act states that any "person engaged in a business affecting commerce who has employees, but does not include the United States or any state of political subdivision of a State." In short, this Act applies to all types of employers including law firms, hospitals, charities, labor unions, manufacturers, and private schools. Religious organizations are included in this Act if they employ workers. Those not covered by the Act include the self-employed, family farms, and various governmental work areas - nuclear weapons manufacturers, railroads, airlines, and mining are not covered by this Act.

As you can see, the purpose of the Occupational Health and Safety Act is to protect those that are forced to work in dangerous conditions. In many ways, this Act is important to the safety of those workers that find themselves engaged in trecherous activity daily. However, some employers do not believe that the Act benefits them in any way, and this may be true in many different situations. Some also wonder whether or not the Act should actually apply to all forms of business, as some types of businesses present no type of danger. Still, the Act is set in place to help those that need it, and this can only be viewed as a positive thing.

Thanks to certain progressions such as the aforementioned Act, many workers find that they are able to work without fear. Unfortunately, there are still some extremely dangerous occupations within the nation that are not covered by this Act. Will there be a few changes to this Act within the next few years? Possibly. For now, the Act remains the same.

Though the intent and purpose of the Occupational Health and Safety Act remains, roughly, the same as it originally did, the years have changed the Act drastically. Many are optimistic that this Act will be altered once again, though only time will tell.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about OSHA information for OccupationalHealthTherapists.com where you can find a directory of occupational therapists across the country.

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Occupational Health and Safety Act - Why Does It Exist?

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