OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health

Administration)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an
agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by
Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act, signed by President Richard M. Nixon, on December 30,
1970. Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and
occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing standards for workplace
safety and health. The agency is headed by a Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Labor, of the United States.

OSHA's Mission
With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to
ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and
women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training,
outreach, education and assistance.

OSHA Act
The OSH Act, which created OSHA also created the National Institute
for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a research agency
focusing on occupational health and safety. NIOSH, however, is not a
part of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Purpose of OSHA?
OSHA federal regulations cover most private sector workplaces. The
OSH Act permits states to develop approved plans as long as they
cover public sector employees and they provide protection equivalent
to that provided under Federal OSHA regulations. In return, a portion of
the cost of the approved state program is paid by the federal
government. Twenty-two states and territories operate plans covering
both the public and private sectors and five Connecticut, Illinois, New
Jersey, New York and the US Virgin Islands operate public employee
only plans. In those five states, private sector employment remains
under Federal OSHA jurisdiction.

In 2000, the United States Postal Act made the U.S. Postal Service the
only quasi-governmental entity to fall under the purview of OSHA
jurisdiction.
Occupational Safety and Health Act
The Occupational Safety and Health Act is the primary federal
law which governs occupational health and safety in the
private sector and federal government in the United States. It
was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by President
Richard Nixon on December 29, 1970. Its main goal is to ensure
that employers provide employees with an environment free from
recognized hazards, such as exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive
noise levels, mechanical dangers, heat or cold stress, or unsanitary
conditions.

Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994

The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514) is a piece
of Malaysian legislation which was gazetted on 25 February 1994 by
the Malaysian Parliament.

The principle of the Act is "To make further provision for securing that
safety, health and welfare of persons at work, for protecting others
against risks to safety or health in connection with the activities of
persons at work, to establish the National Council for Occupational
Safety and Health and for matters connected therewith."

The Act applies throughout Malaysia to the industries specified in the

First Schedule. Nothing in this act shall apply to work aboard ships
governed by the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1952, the Merchant
Shipping Ordinance 1960 of Sabah or Sarawak or the armed forces.

List of regulations under this Act

 Occupational Safety and Health (Employers' Safety and Health

General Policy Statements) (Exception) Regulations 1995
 Occupational Safety and Health (Control of Industry Major
Accident Hazards) Regulations 1996
 Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Committee)
Regulations 1996
 Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Packaging and
Labeling of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 1997
 Occupational Safety and Heath (Safety and Health Officer)
Regulations 1997
 Occupational Safety and Health (Prohibition of Use of Substance)
Order 1999
  Occupational Safety and Health (Use and Standards of Exposure
of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000
 Occupational Safety and Health (Notification of Accident,
Dangerous Occurrence, Occupational Poisoning and Occupational
Disease) Regulation 2004

(EU-OSHA) European Agency for Safety and

Health at Work
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
was set up in 1996 in Bilbao, Spain. Its mission is "to make Europe's
workplaces safer, healthier and more productive. This is done by
bringing together and sharing knowledge and information, to promote
a culture of risk prevention".

The Agency has a staff of occupational safety and health (OSH),

communication and administrative specialists. At the national level, it
is represented through a network of focal points, which are usually the
lead OSH bodies in the individual Member States.

The European Risk observatory was set up in 2005 as an integral

part of the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.
Demographic changes and developments in the organization of work
and production methods are generating new types of risks to workers’
safety and health. The Risk Observatory aims to identify new and
emerging risks and to promote early preventive action. It describes
trends and underlying factors and anticipates changes in the working
environment and their likely consequences to health and safety.

EU-OSHA also publishes a monthly newsletter OSHmail, which deals

with occupational health and safety topics.

Changes in industrial safety regulation brought

about by OSHA:
1. Guards on all moving parts - By 1970, there were guards to
prevent inadvertent contact with most moving parts that were
accessible in the normal course of operation. With OSHA, use of
guards was expanded to cover essentially all parts where contact
is possible.
 2. Permissible exposure limits (PEL) - Maximum concentrations
of chemicals stipulated by regulation for chemicals and dusts.
They cover around 600 chemicals. Most are based on standards
issued by other organizations in 1968 or before.
3. Personal protective equipment (PPE) - broader use of
respirators, gloves, coveralls, and other protective equipment
when handling hazardous chemicals; goggles, face shields, ear
protection in typical industrial environments
4. Lockout/tagout - In the 1980s, requirements for locking out
energy sources (securing them in an "off" condition) when
performing repairs or maintenance
5. Confined space - In the 1990s, specific requirements for air
sampling and use of a "buddy system" when working inside
tanks, manholes, pits, bins, and similar enclosed areas
6. Hazard Communication (HazCom) - Also known as the "Right
to Know" standard, was issued as 29CFR1910.1200 on November
25, 1983 (48 FR 53280), requires developing and communicating
information on the hazards of chemical products used in the
workplace.
7. Process Safety Management (PSM) - Issued in 1992 as
29CFR1910.119 in an attempt to reduce large scale industrial
accidents. Although enforcement of the standard has been
spotty, its principles have long been widely accepted by the
petrochemical industry.
8. Blood borne Pathogens (BBP). In 1990, OSHA issued a
standard designed to prevent health care (and other) workers
from being exposed to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B
and HIV.
9. Excavations and Trenches - OSHA regulations specify that
trenches and excavations wherein workers are working 5 feet or
more down must be provided with safeguards in addition to
proper sloping and storage of excavated material in order to
prevent collapses/cave-ins.
10. Exposure to asbestos - OSHA has established requirements in
29 CFR 1910.1001 for occupational exposure to asbestos. These
requirements apply to most workplaces - most notably excepted
is construction work. "Construction work" means work for
construction, alteration and/or repair including painting and
decorating. Occupational exposure requirements for asbestos in
construction work can be found in 29 CFR 1926.1101.

Implications of OSHA in Pakistan

A Survey was conducted as a cross-sectional survey of health-care
workers at first level health care facilities in two rural districts (Larkana
and Mirpur Khas) in Sindh province of Pakistan during January through
September 2004. Health care in these districts is provided by 378
general practitioners (GPs), 128 non MBBS practitioners (dispensers)
and 35 public Basic Health Units (BHUs). Most of the GPs have clinics in
urban areas or on a highway at the junction of 3–4 villages. Usually a
clinic consists of 1–2 rooms, with a table for the practitioner, patients'
sitting area, a dispensary and sometimes a bed or a couch. In these
clinics, besides a physician, there is a dispenser (physician assistant),
who is mostly unqualified and dispenses medication and provides
injections. Dispensers, who are or have been a physician assistant at a
GP clinic, or are working at a public facility, also practice
independently, where they mostly prescribe and dispense medication
and provide injections personally but may, at times, be assisted by an
assistant. Public BHUs typically have one or two physicians and their
assistants, a vaccinator, lady health visitor, and a guard or office
helper. Average patient turnover at a GP clinic is 25–75 patients per
day; at dispenser clinics 10–30 patients and 25–100 patients at a BHU.
Patient mix in these clinics varies by socio-economic status (SES),
location, and type of clinic. In remote rural areas, where only one or
two practitioners are available, patients seek care from them. Where
more choices are available as in towns, patients from a higher SES are
more likely to visit general practitioners, while low and lower middle
income patients are more likely to seek care from public or unqualified
practitioners.