What It Is

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) enforces the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, a federal regulation codified in 29 CFR 1910 for general industry. Its primary purpose is assuring safe, healthful working conditions by reducing hazards through standards enforcement, inspections, and cooperative programs. It uses a performance-based approach with the General Duty Clause for uncodified hazards and a hierarchy of controls.

Key Components

• Organized into subparts (A-Z) covering walking surfaces, PPE, hazardous materials, toxic substances.
• Core elements: standards hierarchy, recordkeeping (Forms 300/300A/301), emergency plans, training.
• Built on employer/employee duties, NIOSH research, OSHRC adjudication.
• Compliance via inspections, citations, penalties up to $165,514.

Why Organizations Use It

• Legally mandatory for most U.S. employers to avoid fines, shutdowns.
• Reduces injuries, workers' comp costs, boosts productivity.
• Enhances reputation, meets state plans, aligns with IIPP best practices.

Implementation Overview

• Involves hazard assessments, written programs, training, engineering controls.
• Applies to general industry; scalable by size via consultations.
• No certification but enforced through prioritized inspections, electronic reporting.

What It Is

EPA standards are a family of legally binding U.S. federal regulations codified primarily in Title 40 CFR, implementing major statutes like the Clean Air Act (CAA), Clean Water Act (CWA), and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Their primary purpose is environmental protection through risk management, blending health-based ambient standards (e.g., NAAQS) with technology-based controls (e.g., effluent guidelines, MACT). Scope covers air emissions, water discharges, hazardous waste, with site-specific permitting.

Key Components

• Numeric limits/thresholds, performance criteria, work practices.
• Permitting (NPDES, Title V, RCRA), monitoring/recordkeeping/reporting.
• Federal-state implementation, enforcement pathways.
• Over 100 parts in 40 CFR; no single certification, but permit compliance audited.

Why Organizations Use It

Mandatory for regulated entities to avoid penalties, operational shutdowns, liabilities. Drives risk reduction, ESG alignment, efficiency gains; builds stakeholder trust via transparency tools like ECHO.

Implementation Overview

Phased: gap analysis, regulatory mapping, controls deployment, training, audits. Applies to industrial facilities across sectors; requires ongoing adaptation to rulemakings. No central certification; compliance via inspections, self-audits.