A Short History of Occupational Safety and Health in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 622-628
Author(s):  
David Rosner ◽  
Gerald Markowitz
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Short History ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Before And After ◽  
History Of

As this short history of occupational safety and health before and after establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) clearly demonstrates, labor has always recognized perils in the workplace, and as a result, workers’ safety and health have played an essential part of the battles for shorter hours, higher wages, and better working conditions. OSHA’s history is an intimate part of a long struggle over the rights of working people to a safe and healthy workplace. In the early decades, strikes over working conditions multiplied. The New Deal profoundly increased the role of the federal government in the field of occupational safety and health. In the 1960s, unions helped mobilize hundreds of thousands of workers and their unions to push for federal legislation that ultimately resulted in the passage of the Mine Safety and Health Act of 1969 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. From the 1970s onward, industry developed a variety of tactics to undercut OSHA. Industry argued over what constituted good science, shifted the debate from health to economic costs, and challenged all statements considered damaging.

scholarly journals Letter to the Editor: License Portability for Occupational Audiologists is Essential

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-82
Author(s):  
George R. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Individual State ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Hearing Conservation ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
National Organizations ◽  
State Programs ◽  
The Cost

Occupational audiologists have a crisis in their profession and need advocates. These audiologists are primarily responsible for industrial hearing conservation programs and their compliance with multiple regulations, such as Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Federal Railroad Administration.  Occupational hearing programs, for the most part, are multi-state programs as companies and corporations are national organizations. Also, companies may contract services across state lines as local services may not be desired or available. Individual state telepractice regulations require audiologists who are professionally supervising these programs via the internet and phone, to secure licensure in each state. For this licensure redundancy, the cost in time and tracking are enormous.  It is imperative that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), secure multistate licensure for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. For the profession of occupational audiology, it is essential.Keywords: Licensure, Occupational audiologists, Telehealth, Telepractice

IMPACT OF OSHA ON GEOPHYSICAL OPERATIONS

Geophysics ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 380-380
Author(s):  
Frank Searcy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
District Of Columbia ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Safety And Health

The Williams‐Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 has placed new responsibilities on everyone involved in geophysical operations in the United States. This law applies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and territories under the jurisdiction of the United States. The declared congressional purpose of the act is “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources.”

The use of an odour wheel classification for the evaluation of human health risk criteria for compost facilities

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 345-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.E. Rosenfeld ◽  
J.J.J. Clark ◽  
A.R. Hensley ◽  
I.H. Suffet
Keyword(s):  
Health Risk ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Human Odour

Odorants are released during the decomposition of organic waste at compost treatment plants. Composting releases volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), including alcohols, aldehydes, volatile fatty acids, ammonia and other nitrogen compounds, xenobiotic solvents, and various sulphur compounds into the environment as categorised by a compost odor wheel. Each odorant possesses a characteristic odour signature – quality and threshold as well as a toxicity value. This paper presents data relating the human odour detection limit to human health threshold criteria developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 and the World Health Organisation. This comparison indicates that: (1) the human odour threshold concentrations (OTC) for most compost odorants are far lower than their respective human health risk (regulatory) threshold values, (2) several compost odorants have OTC that are below some of their respective regulatory thresholds and above others (i.e. dimethyl amine, formic acid acetone, ethyl benzene and toluene) and (3) only the VOCs probably present as contaminants in the raw composting material have OTC greater than all of its regulatory thresholds (i.e. benzene). Benzene is the most hazardous VOC associated with composting and should be monitored.

Recent Developments in Health Law

1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-92
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Bloodborne Pathogens ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Safety And Health

In American Dental Association v. Martin, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reviewed a challenge to a rule of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In December, 1991, OSHA passed a standard to protect health care workers from viruses transmitted by blood—bloodborne pathogens—including the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the human immunodeficiency virus, the virus known to cause AIDS. Three health care organizations, whose members are dentists, medical personnel firms, and home health employers, petitioned the court to review OSHA's rule.The Occupational Safety and Health Act was passed to assure employees that they would have as safe and healthy a working environment as feasible. Congress sought to ensure this by vesting the Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health with the authority to promulgate mandatory safety and health standards. In promulgating standards concerning toxic materials or harmful physical agents, the secretary sets rules that most adequately assure that an employee will not suffer a material impairment of health or functional capacity while performing work-related duties.

Playing Chicken with People: The Occupational Safety and Health Consequences of Throughput über Alles

1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Linder
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Food Policy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Safety And Health

The political-economic and legal analysis of regulation in this article argues that the speed of work on disassembly lines in poultry processing plants, the fastest growing factory employment in the United States, is de facto regulated not by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the agency charged with protecting workers, but, perversely, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In arrogating to itself the power to set line speeds in connection with its inspection of processed carcasses, the Department of Agriculture has one-sidedly promoted chicken oligopolies' interests by accommodating their drive to produce as much product as quickly and cheaply as possible (throughput über alles) and especially without regard to the incidence of repetitive stress disorders associated with high-speed machine-paced manual production. In contrast, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has failed either to assert its statutory authority over this vital determinant of workers' well-being or to persuade any administrative or judicial tribunal that it possesses such authority. Consequently, the article concludes, the health and safety of 200,000 low-paid and largely unorganized, female, and non-white workers continue to be held hostage to the self-valorization needs of capital and the state's cheap food policy.

Quantitative Analysis of Dust Samples From Occupational Environments Using Computer-Automated X-Ray Diffraction

1980 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
M. T. Abell ◽  
D. D. Dollberg ◽  
J. V. Crable
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Federal Agencies ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
X Ray Diffraction ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Occupational Health Research

The goal of the occupational health professions is ”… to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources” (Occupational Safety and Health Act, PL91-596). When the health of workers is threatened by chemical agents in the air, occupational health chemistry has a role to play. Analyses of workplace air are performed by the thousands each year by industry and by state and federal agencies. In the federal government, these analyses, as well as occupational health work in general, are performed by three agencies: the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH, DHHS), which does occupational health research; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, DOL), which enforces safety and health standards in the general workplace; and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA, DOL), which enforces similar standards in mining operations.

A Case Study in Applied Social Marketing: Developing an Occupational Safety and Health Product

2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 89-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas F. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Social Marketing ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Mine Safety ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Hazardous Chemicals ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Business Customers

This case study provides an example of how social marketing was applied to meet the needs of business customers. Federal regulations require that all companies develop a written program to track hazardous chemicals at their sites. The HazComWriter, created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), is a software tool designed to help companies prepare their required Hazard Communications (HazCom) written plan and list all hazardous chemicals at the company's worksite. The social marketing goal was to provide a product for small- to medium-sized companies to use for federal HazCom rule compliance. The HazComWriter is a direct NIOSH response to customer and stakeholder needs (including the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the mining community, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration-regulated companies).

scholarly journals OSHA and the Forensic Engineer

1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Morley Brickman
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Consultation Training

To understand how a forensic engineer can best utilize or interface with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration it is necessary to understand something of the agency and its purpose. Congress in enacting PL91-596, also known as the Williams-Stieger or Occupational Safety and Health Act, stated as the purpose to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and to preserve our human resources. There then follows thirteen mandates of the congress all of which cannot be gone into detail here. People are most familiar with the enforcement aspects of the Agency but are not so familiar with the research, consultation, training and standard making areas which, other than enforcement, are of the most interest to forensic engineers.

Industrial Hygiene Review of Three Manufacturing Facilities in Senegal: Findings and Key Questions

2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 439-448
Author(s):  
Richard M. Lynch ◽  
Ismaila Mbaye
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Industrial Hygiene ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Political Economies ◽  
Manufacturing Facilities

An industrial hygiene review was conducted in pesticide, asbestos, and cement manufacturing facilities in Senegal to provide the Senegalese Ministry of Labor with recommendations for improving working conditions. Findings show severe under-reporting of occupational illnesses, and major shortcomings in terms of worker training, personal protective equipment use, emergency planning, and other traditional industrial hygiene controls. Despite these findings, a comparison between observed conditions and the proposed Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Safety and Health Program Management standard shows that these companies would probably not be considered grossly non-compliant by U.S. standards, and suggests that strong regulatory enforcement of actual working conditions remains a necessity. This analysis also suggests that compliance with the proposed standard would not in itself assure that such dire shortcomings as were observed could not legally exist here in the United States. Key differences between the political economies of developing nations and the United States suggest that improving working conditions requires a comprehensive planning effort addressing poverty reduction, environmental considerations, and economic growth. Three fundamental questions are proposed which should be addressed to improve working conditions in Senegal.

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