What It Is

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, is a U.S. federal regulation enforcing workplace safety and health standards codified in 29 CFR 1910 for general industry. Its primary purpose is assuring safe conditions by reducing hazards through standards enforcement, inspections, and the General Duty Clause for recognized serious risks. It uses a performance-based, risk-hierarchy approach.

Key Components

• Organized into subparts covering walking-working surfaces, PPE, hazardous materials, toxic substances (Subpart Z).
• Core principles: hierarchy of controls (elimination to PPE), recordkeeping (OSHA 300/300A/301 forms), electronic reporting via ITA.
• Over 1,000 standards with civil penalties up to $165,514 for willful violations; no formal certification but mandatory compliance.

Why Organizations Use It

Legal obligation for U.S. employers; mitigates fines, injuries, litigation. Enhances risk management, productivity, insurance savings, reputation via proactive IIPPs.

Implementation Overview

Phased: gap analysis, written programs, training, engineering controls. Applies to most industries/size; state plans may enhance. Ongoing audits, no central certification.

What It Is

ISO/IEC 17025:2017, titled General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories, is an international accreditation standard. It ensures labs demonstrate competence, impartiality, and consistent operation for technically valid results. The standard uses a risk-based, performance-oriented approach, integrating management and technical controls.

Key Components

• Eight clauses: general requirements (impartiality/confidentiality), structural, resource requirements (personnel, facilities, equipment), process requirements (methods, sampling, uncertainty), and management system (Option A/B).
• Core principles: metrological traceability, method validation, proficiency testing.
• Accreditation model via ILAC-recognized bodies assessing scope-specific competence.

Why Organizations Use It

• Drives market access, regulatory acceptance, and supply chain inclusion.
• Mitigates risks of invalid results, legal exposure, reputational harm.
• Builds customer trust, enables international result recognition.
• Provides operational efficiency and competitive differentiation.

Implementation Overview

• Phased PDCA: gap analysis, documentation, training, validation, audits.
• Applies to labs globally, any size; technical focus demands metrology expertise.
• Culminates in on-site accreditation assessments with surveillance.