DOL Recognizes 50 Years of OSH Act with “Protecting the American Workforce” Campaign

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) with a yearlong celebration of past achievements, current efforts, and future initiatives to protect the American workforce.

Signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on Dec. 29, 1970, the OSH Act was created "to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women," laying the groundwork for the creation of OSHA the following spring. Following the establishment of the OSH Act, workplace fatalities were reduced approximately 65%.

"America's workplaces are safer and healthier thanks to the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the thousands of individuals at the Labor Department who have implemented the Act over the last 50 years," U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia says. "The OSH Act is a cornerstone of worker protection in our country, and thanks to OSHA's work, countless American workers have gotten home safely to their families each day."

"The creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration made real, demonstrable improvement in worker safety in the United States," says Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor of Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt. "OSHA looks to continue to reduce occupational hazards and improve worker health. I am proud of the agency's half century of accomplishments and look forward to working with everyone dedicated to the agency's mission."

For more information, visit www.osha.gov.