The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency tasked with setting and enforcing workplace safety standards under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. OSHA writes standards, conducts inspections, and assesses penalties for violations; state-level "OSHA plans" administer the program in many states.
OSHA enforcement levels, the size of its inspectorate, and the penalty amounts available under federal law have been long-running points of contention. Debates also turn on the scope of OSHA's authority to address newer hazards — heat, infectious disease, ergonomics, workplace violence — and on the procedural pathways available for setting emergency standards.
Critics from labor and worker advocates argue OSHA is chronically under-resourced, with too few inspectors per worker and penalties too low to deter violations. Critics from the business community argue rule-making is unpredictable, that some standards impose costs disproportionate to risk reduction, and that small employers face heavy compliance burdens.