Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsRegulationsSpecialty CareersImpactTypes
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Regulations
Specialty Careers
Impact
Types
Occupational health and safety is the area of public health that focuses on illness and injury trends in the workplace. Experts in the field use this knowledge to develop and implement strategies and regulations aimed at limiting hazards that could lead to physical or mental harm now or in the future.
The scope of occupational health and safety is broad, encompassing disciplines from hazardous materials and the spread of disease toergonomicsand violence prevention.Today, most employers—both private and public—have a legal responsibility to establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment for their workers.
There are a few exceptions; for example, these rules do not protect people who are self-employed or farm workers who are immediate family members of the farm owner.
This article defines the field of occupational health and safety, gives a brief history, looks at regulations and ongoing issues, and discusses career opportunities in the field of occupational health and safety.
Caiaimage / Agnieszka Olek / Getty Images
Workplace Safety: Then and Now
Working conditions for the average American have improved over the last 150 years. In recent decades, major, economy-altering safety legislation has been passed, along with lesser regulations.
While there’s still work to be done, things like dangerous machinery, dimly lit offices, and poorly ventilated factories have been eliminated because of the work of occupational health and safety experts.
Efforts that started with a focus on manual labor jobs, such as factory workers, now involve all occupations in the United States. The field continues to grow and adapt.
Post-Civil-War Era
These factories were equipped with dangerous machinery, and they were dirty and poorly ventilated.
Many factory owners refused to open windows because the wind could disrupt their materials. That left workers breathing in chemical fumes, dust, and other particulate matter.
Awareness Grows
In response, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to require factory inspections that included verifying that facilities had safety features such as fire exits in place.Other states quickly followed suit.
By 1890, 21 states had some kind of law limiting health hazards in the workplace.
Avoiding Regulations
While those early efforts were a step in the right direction, they were often a confusing assortment of laws and regulations. Rules differed from state to state and weren’t always enforced. That led to the movement of businesses from state to state.
States with more relaxed policies attracted businesses away from stricter states, and a push was made to scale back regulations. A back-and-forth progression began as the public demanded stricter laws and businesses fought to loosen them.
Federal Law
In December of 1970, then-President Richard Nixon signed into law theOccupational Safety and Health Act. This was the first far-reaching federal law to protect American workers.
The law gave the U.S. government authority to write and enforce safety and health standards for nearly all of the country’s workforce.Shortly after, theNational Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)andOccupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)were established to oversee the implementation of the new law.
Improvements and additions to state and federal laws have been passed in the years since they were enacted, expanding the role of occupational health and safety professionals and going further to ensure safe workspaces for all.
Professionals That Help Keep You Safe on the Job
Many careers exist within the field of occupational health and safety, both in government agencies and private companies. A variety of degrees and certifications are available for people interested in the field.
This list of jobs in occupational health offers a look at how nuanced the field is and all the measures that are taken to keep workplaces safe:
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the creation of at least one new workplace health and safety job. Because social distancing was often not possible on professional film, video, and photography shoots, COVID-19 compliance officers were created to help people stay as safe as possible.
How Occupational Health Measures Impact You
Over the past 200 years, regulations have meant continuous, steady drops in accident and fatality rates across most industries in the United States.
This doesn’t mean that workplace health and safety is no longer an issue, though. Nearly three million people still suffer some kind of serious work-related injury or illness every year in the U.S.Millions more are exposed to environmental health hazards that could cause issues years later.
This only enforces the important and continued role of occupational health and safety professionals.
You can request a representative of OSHA inspect your workplace to determine if there are any safety violations.A worker or someone who represents them can make this request or file a complaint about a working environment.
Employee Benefits
Workers benefit greatly from occupational health and safety measures. For example, due to regulations being in place:
Employer Benefits
While such regulations can pose a burden to businesses, employers can benefit from them as well.
Injuries and illnesses can lead to lost productivity, higher turnover, and more expensiveemployer-subsidized health insurance premiums.Regulations provide a data-drive framework of steps that can help an employer avoid these issues.
It has even become common for larger employers to establish workplace health and safety programs that go beyond what’s legally required.
Workers' Comp ClaimsWorkers' compensation claims total more than a billion dollars a week.That doesn’t even account for the loss of wages and other indirect expenses, such as decreased productivity and the psychological toll of experiencing or caring for someone with an injury.
Workers' Comp Claims
Workers' compensation claims total more than a billion dollars a week.That doesn’t even account for the loss of wages and other indirect expenses, such as decreased productivity and the psychological toll of experiencing or caring for someone with an injury.
Types of Occupational Health Issues
For example, physical threats like tall heights and heavy machinery might be of greater concern to construction workers, whereas mental health and repetitive stress injuries might be the focus of office environments.
Despite massive improvements to workplace standards, there are a number of safety and health concerns in America’s workforce where much work can be done.
Physical Hazards
Employers are legally obligated under federal law to ensure that work environments are free from physical hazards, or conditions that can cause physical harm to a person without any type of contact.
Biological Hazards
Biological hazards may be encountered whenever people work with animals, certain hazardous plants, or people, especially in medical settings. Workers who are likely to come into contact with biological hazards should be equipped with appropriate safety gear such as surgical gloves and masks.
Biological hazards include things like:
Chemical Hazards
Chemical hazards include liquid, gas, and solid chemicals that can cause skin irritation, illness, or breathing problems. Workers using these chemicals should wear safety gear including protection for the eyes and respirators. Examples of chemical hazards include:
Ergonomic Hazards
Many employers find that investing in ergonomics actually has a positive return on investment once lost productivity and employer medical costs are considered.
Safety Hazards
Safety hazards include anything in the environment that can cause injury, such as spills and other tripping hazards or tasks that require ladders or scaffolds.
For many builders, working from tall heights is unavoidable, but with proper safety precautions, deaths and injuries can be avoided. These precautions should start before the work even begins during the earliest part of the planning stages.
Employers should include the cost of safety equipment, like harnesses, scaffolds, and fall arrest systems, in the project’s work estimate, so that every worker has access to and is trained to use the equipment they need.
What Is Post Electric Shock Syndrome?
Non-Fatal Injuries
Many people envision workplace safety primarily in terms of traditionally risky industries like construction, deep-sea fishing, or logging. Indeed, these sectors experience some of the highest fatal accident numbers for U.S. workers.
However, non-fatal injuries and illnesses tell a significantly different story. These injuries can result in significant losses to productivity, as more than half result in days away from work. There is also the added burden of treatment costs and human pain.
Sedentary Behavior
As the workforce has moved from manual labor to desk jobs, the U.S. population has become increasingly sedentary. Office workers often sit for hours at a time during work hours and during their daily commute and leisure time.
A sedentary lifestyle can have major consequences for your health, including increasing your risk for obesity, blood clots, and death.
Only 46.9% of American adults get the recommended amount of aerobic physical activity and only 24.2% get both enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity each week.Even that, however, might not be sufficient to lessen the health impacts of long-term desk work.
One study found that those who sat for a cumulative 12.5 hours per day were more likely to die from all causes than those who were more active, moving around at least every 30 minutes.
This was the case regardless of whether individuals worked out regularly. Sitting for too long too often can have devastating consequences over time.
Summary
Occupational health and safety is the field of assessing workplace safety and preventing on-the-job accidents.
Workplace safety laws and regulations have come a long way since the Civil War, but there is still work to be done to ensure safety across workplaces of all types.
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The University of Iowa.Occupational and environmental health.United States Department of Labor.Employer responsibilities.U.S. Department of Labor.Frequently asked questions.Economic History Services.History of workplace safety in the United States (1880-1970).Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor.Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, Embracing the Account of Its Operations and Inquiries From March 1, 1872, to March 1, 1873. Boston: Wright & Potter, State Printers; 1873.United States Department of Labor.Factory inspection legislation.United States Department of Labor.The job safety law of 1970: Its passage was perilous.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Statement of David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.OSHA Frequently Asked Questions.United States Department of Labor.Workers' compensation.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Injury and illness prevention programs.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Business case for safety and health.United States Department of Labor. Heat Illness Prevention.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Using the heat index: S guide for employers.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Observation based posture assessment.California Orthopedic Association.Carpal tunnel syndrome.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Welcome to OSHA’s fall prevention campaign.The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Working in construction.Yale Medicine.Why is sitting so bad for us?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Exercise or physical activity.Diaz KM, Howard VJ, Hutto B, et al.Patterns of sedentary behavior and mortality in U.S. middle-aged and older adults: A national cohort study.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):465-475. doi:10.7326/M17-0212
22 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The University of Iowa.Occupational and environmental health.United States Department of Labor.Employer responsibilities.U.S. Department of Labor.Frequently asked questions.Economic History Services.History of workplace safety in the United States (1880-1970).Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor.Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, Embracing the Account of Its Operations and Inquiries From March 1, 1872, to March 1, 1873. Boston: Wright & Potter, State Printers; 1873.United States Department of Labor.Factory inspection legislation.United States Department of Labor.The job safety law of 1970: Its passage was perilous.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Statement of David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.OSHA Frequently Asked Questions.United States Department of Labor.Workers' compensation.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Injury and illness prevention programs.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Business case for safety and health.United States Department of Labor. Heat Illness Prevention.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Using the heat index: S guide for employers.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Observation based posture assessment.California Orthopedic Association.Carpal tunnel syndrome.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Welcome to OSHA’s fall prevention campaign.The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Working in construction.Yale Medicine.Why is sitting so bad for us?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Exercise or physical activity.Diaz KM, Howard VJ, Hutto B, et al.Patterns of sedentary behavior and mortality in U.S. middle-aged and older adults: A national cohort study.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):465-475. doi:10.7326/M17-0212
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The University of Iowa.Occupational and environmental health.United States Department of Labor.Employer responsibilities.U.S. Department of Labor.Frequently asked questions.Economic History Services.History of workplace safety in the United States (1880-1970).Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor.Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, Embracing the Account of Its Operations and Inquiries From March 1, 1872, to March 1, 1873. Boston: Wright & Potter, State Printers; 1873.United States Department of Labor.Factory inspection legislation.United States Department of Labor.The job safety law of 1970: Its passage was perilous.Bureau of Labor Statistics.Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Statement of David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.OSHA Frequently Asked Questions.United States Department of Labor.Workers' compensation.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Injury and illness prevention programs.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Business case for safety and health.United States Department of Labor. Heat Illness Prevention.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Using the heat index: S guide for employers.National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Observation based posture assessment.California Orthopedic Association.Carpal tunnel syndrome.Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Welcome to OSHA’s fall prevention campaign.The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Working in construction.Yale Medicine.Why is sitting so bad for us?Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Exercise or physical activity.Diaz KM, Howard VJ, Hutto B, et al.Patterns of sedentary behavior and mortality in U.S. middle-aged and older adults: A national cohort study.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):465-475. doi:10.7326/M17-0212
The University of Iowa.Occupational and environmental health.
United States Department of Labor.Employer responsibilities.
U.S. Department of Labor.Frequently asked questions.
Economic History Services.History of workplace safety in the United States (1880-1970).
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor.Fourth Annual Report of the Bureau of Statistics of Labor, Embracing the Account of Its Operations and Inquiries From March 1, 1872, to March 1, 1873. Boston: Wright & Potter, State Printers; 1873.
United States Department of Labor.Factory inspection legislation.
United States Department of Labor.The job safety law of 1970: Its passage was perilous.
Bureau of Labor Statistics.Injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Statement of David Michaels, PhD, MPH, Assistant Secretary, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.OSHA Frequently Asked Questions.
United States Department of Labor.Workers' compensation.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Injury and illness prevention programs.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Business case for safety and health.
United States Department of Labor. Heat Illness Prevention.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Using the heat index: S guide for employers.
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Observation based posture assessment.
California Orthopedic Association.Carpal tunnel syndrome.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration.Welcome to OSHA’s fall prevention campaign.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.Working in construction.
Yale Medicine.Why is sitting so bad for us?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Exercise or physical activity.
Diaz KM, Howard VJ, Hutto B, et al.Patterns of sedentary behavior and mortality in U.S. middle-aged and older adults: A national cohort study.Ann Intern Med. 2017;167(7):465-475. doi:10.7326/M17-0212
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