“Coverage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 extends to all employers and their employees in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and all other territories under the federal government jurisdiction.” The Act defines an employer as any “person engaged in businesses affecting commerce who has employees, but does not include the United States or any state or political subdivision of the State.”
The OSHA Act applies to employers and employees in the diverse fields such as: Manufacturing; Construction; Agriculture; Law and Medicine; Charity and Disaster Relief; Organized Labor; Religious groups who employ; Private Education; secular workers.
The OSHA Act does not apply to employers and employees in the
following fields: Self-employed persons; Farms where only immediate
members of the farmer’s family are employed; Mining, nuclear energy,
nuclear weapons, and transportation industries under federal status.
Setting standards, conducting workplace inspections to attest the
compliance with the standards and providing a safe workplace are the
primary functions of OSHA. The Act’s expectations make employers aware
of standards that apply to the company, eliminate hazardous or unsafe
practices in the workplace, and comply with the standards.