What is OSHA's primary mission?

OSHA's primary mission is to save lives and prevent injuries in the workplace. This focus underscores the agency's commitment to ensuring that workers across various industries, particularly in construction, operate in safe environments. The overarching goal of establishing safety standards and regulations is to minimize the occurrence of workplace hazards that can lead to injuries, illnesses, or fatalities. By emphasizing the importance of life preservation and injury prevention, OSHA aims to create safer workplaces, thereby enhancing the overall well-being of employees.

While improving workplace conditions is closely related and an essential part of OSHA's activities, it falls under the broader mission of saving lives and preventing injuries. Enforcing labor laws, though a critical function of various governmental bodies, is not uniquely the primary mission of OSHA, which specifically targets health and safety standards. Providing training to workers is also a vital aspect of OSHA's approach, designed to support their mission, but it is a means to an end, rather than the primary objective itself. Therefore, the mission to save lives and prevent injuries encapsulates the essence of OSHA's work and goals.