29 U.S.C. 651 Occupational Safety and Health Act

SEC. 2. Congressional Findings and Purpose
(a) The Congress finds that personal injuries and illnesses arising out of work
situations impose a substantial burden upon, and are a hindrance to, interstate
commerce in terms of lost production, wage loss, medical expenses, and disability
compensation payments.
(b) The Congress declares it to be its purpose and policy, through the exercise of
its powers to regulate commerce among the several States and with foreign
nations and to provide for the general welfare, to assure so far as possible every
working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions and
to preserve our human resources -(1) by encouraging employers and employees in their efforts to reduce the
number of occupational safety and health hazards at their places of employment,
and to stimulate employers and employees to institute new and to perfect
existing programs for providing safe and healthful working conditions; (2) by
providing that employers and employees have separate but dependent
responsibilities and rights with respect to achieving safe and healthful working
conditions;
(3) by authorizing the Secretary of Labor to set mandatory occupational safety
and health standards applicable to businesses affecting interstate commerce,
and by creating an Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for
carrying out adjudicatory functions under the Act;
(4) by building upon advances already made through employer and employee
initiative for providing safe and healthful working conditions;
(5) by providing for research in the field of occupational safety and health,
including the psychological factors involved, and by developing innovative
methods, techniques, and approaches for dealing with occupational safety and
health problems;
(6) by exploring ways to discover latent diseases, establishing causal
connections between diseases and work in environmental conditions, and
conducting other research relating to health problems, in recognition of the fact
that occupational health standards present problems often different from those
involved in occupational safety;
(7) by providing medical criteria which will assure insofar as practicable that no
employee will suffer diminished health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as
a result of his work experience;
(8) by providing for training programs to increase the number and competence
of personnel engaged in the field of occupational safety and health; affecting the
OSH Act since its passage in 1970 through January 1, 2004.
(9) by providing for the development and promulgation of occupational safety
and health standards;
(10) by providing an effective enforcement program which shall include a
prohibition against giving advance notice of any inspection and sanctions for any
individual violating this prohibition;

29 USC 651

(11) by encouraging the States to assume the fullest responsibility for the
administration and enforcement of their occupational safety and health laws by
providing grants to the States to assist in identifying their needs and
responsibilities in the area of occupational safety and health, to develop plans in
accordance with the provisions of this Act, to improve the administration and
enforcement of State occupational safety and health laws, and to conduct
experimental and demonstration projects in connection therewith;
(12) by providing for appropriate reporting procedures with respect to
occupational safety and health which procedures will help achieve the objectives
of this Act and accurately describe the nature of the occupational safety and
health problem;
(13) by encouraging joint labor-management efforts to reduce injuries and
disease arising out of employment.

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