1.1 What OSHA Is
Welcome to this IAQCert training program. This course has been developed by experienced professionals and is based on widely recognized industry practices and safety standards. It is designed to strengthen your practical knowledge, improve job-site readiness, and promote responsible, informed work in the field of indoor air quality.
Note: IAQCert courses are intended for professional development and educational enrichment. While built around real-world practices and standards, licensing or certification requirements may vary by region. We recommend verifying any additional credentials required in your jurisdiction before performing regulated work.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the U.S. federal agency responsible for ensuring safe and healthful working conditions. OSHA’s mission is “to assure America’s workers have safe and healthful working conditions free from unlawful retaliation,” which it carries out by setting and enforcing standards, providing training, outreach, education, and assistance, and working with state partners to uphold safety laws osha.gov. OSHA was established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), signed into law on December 29, 1970 osha.gov. This landmark law (also called the Williams-Steiger Act, codified at 29 U.S.C. §§651–678) declared 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 resource” law.cornell.edu. In other words, Congress created OSHA to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths before they occur, rather than waiting until workers are harmed law.cornell.edu.
OSHA’s roles include: enforcement (conducting inspections and issuing citations to employers who violate safety standards), standards development (creating and revising safety regulations), education and outreach (offering training programs, guidance, and compliance assistance to employers and workers), and partnerships (collaborating with industries, labor organizations, and state safety agencies). OSHA develops its regulations (standards) through a federal rulemaking process that invites stakeholder input and public comments. For example, OSHA has authority to issue new or revised safety standards and often publishes Requests for Information or proposed rules in the Federal Register to gather feedback before finalizing a rule osha.gov. This transparent, multi-step process ensures that standards are based on the best available evidence and consensus recommendations, with opportunities for groups like NIOSH, industry associations, and unions to contribute osha.gov. Once standards are in place, OSHA enforces them by inspecting workplaces and requiring abatement (correction) of any hazards found. OSHA is part of the U.S. Department of Labor, headed by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and it works closely with 25 state-run OSHA programs which must be “at least as effective” as federal OSHA in protecting workers osha.gov.