Post by Oscar Knight on Dec 9, 2013 0:31:57 GMT -6
The Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed into law on December 29, 1970, by President Richard M. Nixon, culminating nearly a century of endeavors by the states and the federal government to mitigate the vulnerabilities of employees exposed to hazards of the industrial age.
Enactment of the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was preceded by vigorous debate that began during the Johnson Administration among government, business and organized labor over the extent to which federal authority would set and enforce workplace safety and health standards. The Act became effective on April 28, 1971, now the official “birthday” of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Review Commission, and NIOSH. That same month, George Guenther, the head of DOL’s Bureau of Labor Standards, became the first Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and served until 1973.
Enactment of the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) was preceded by vigorous debate that began during the Johnson Administration among government, business and organized labor over the extent to which federal authority would set and enforce workplace safety and health standards. The Act became effective on April 28, 1971, now the official “birthday” of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Review Commission, and NIOSH. That same month, George Guenther, the head of DOL’s Bureau of Labor Standards, became the first Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, and served until 1973.