What is the primary purpose of OSHA?

The primary purpose of OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for employees. This mission is rooted in the need to reduce workplace hazards, ensuring that all workers have the right to a safe working environment. OSHA establishes and enforces standards related to workplace safety and health, provides resources and education to both employers and employees, and promotes compliance through inspections and outreach programs.

While promoting employee training and development, conducting workplace investigations, and providing financial support for safety programs may be important aspects of workplace safety, they are secondary to OSHA's main objective. The focus of OSHA is fundamentally on the creation and maintenance of safe work environments consistent with the organization's regulatory framework. This emphasis on safety and health is what distinguishes OSHA's core mission from other activities related to worker support and development.