The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration
establishes and enforces standards to protect workers from
workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.
OSHA's regulatory standards, promulgated under the
Occupational Safety and Health Act, are divided into four groups:
general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture.
While the construction, maritime, and agriculture group
standards apply to hazards specific to those respective sectors,
the general industry standards (29 CFR Part 1910) apply to all
industries.
The general industry standards include protections against
dozens of hazards like ladder and fall safety, as well as for
hazardous chemicals, with specific rules for hexavalent chromium,
cadmium asbestos, vinyl chloride, and more.
