How OSHA Changed the Game for Worker Safety (Infographic)

Let’s talk about worker safety. If you’ve ever seen those wild, black-and-white photos of men building skyscrapers with no hard hats or harnesses, you get it. Before OSHA came along in the 1970s, worker safety was barely on anyone’s radar. It was a time where profits often came before people.

Thankfully, when OSHA started enforcing safety regulations, it changed the game. This isn’t just a “feeling”—the data proves it. Countless lives have been saved, and as this infographic shows, preventable injuries have dropped dramatically.

Life Before OSHA: The “Bad Old Days”

It’s hard to imagine, but before 1971, there were no national standards for worker safety. If a machine was dangerous, it was just… dangerous. If the air was full of toxic dust, you were told to just “deal with it.”

• In 1970, an estimated 14,000 workers were killed on the job.
• More than 2.5 million workers were disabled by workplace injuries.
• Ten times as many workdays were lost to injuries as they were to strikes.

This was the environment that led to the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The goal was simple: to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for every American worker.

What Does OSHA Actually Do?

OSHA’s mission is straightforward: prevent injuries, save lives. They do this in a few key ways:

1. Setting Standards: They create and enforce the rules. This includes everything from requiring Hazard Communication for chemicals to mandating fall protection in construction.
2. Providing Training: OSHA offers a massive amount of training and educational resources (like the ones we provide!) to help employers and employees understand the risks.
3. Enforcement: They conduct workplace inspections and can issue hefty fines to companies that are not compliant. This is the “teeth” that makes worker safety a priority.

The Proof Is in the Numbers (Our Infographic)

This is the best part. When you look at the data, the impact is undeniable. As you can see in the infographic below, the change has been staggering. Since 1970, workplace fatalities have been cut by more than 60%, and occupational injury and illness rates have dropped by over 75%. All this happened while the U.S. workforce *doubled* in size. That’s not an accident; that’s the result of a dedicated focus on worker safety.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Worker Safety

What is OSHA’s main goal?

OSHA’s primary mission is to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.”

What is the OSHA General Duty Clause?

The General Duty Clause is a “catch-all” rule. It states that employers must provide a workplace that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” This applies even if there isn’t a *specific* OSHA standard for that hazard.

How has OSHA improved worker safety since 1970?

The impact is massive. Since OSHA was created in 1970, workplace fatalities in the U.S. have fallen by over 60%, and rates of reported injuries and illnesses have dropped by more than 75%—all while the workforce has more than doubled.