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Missouri: State or Federal OSHA?

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In Missouri, what is the agency that regulates worker safety?

Missouri, in addition to 25 other states, follows the regulations of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.  OSHA, of course, regulates all different types of employee safety programs.

In Guam, as well as those 26 states, the federal OSHA completes inspections of various workplaces.  They also act as on-site safety consultants, offer free safety tips to employers, and conduct safety training and educational classes.  OSHA also investigates accidents, as well as fatalities, within the workplace.  When required, they also levy fines and institute regulations.

Interestingly, there are three states, plus the Virgin Islands, that have begun their own worker safety programs that only provide coverage for local and state government workers.  The states doing this are New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.  Other businesses and non-profit agencies fall under the federal OSHA’s jurisdiction.

In addition to the above information, it should be mentioned that there are 21 states that have their own state Occupational Safety and Health programs.  These states include Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Virginia, California, Vermont, Hawaii, Utah, Indiana, Tennessee, Iowa, South Carolina, Kentucky, Oregon, Maryland, North Carolina, Michigan, New Mexico, Minnesota, and Nevada.  An interesting point is that Puerto Rico has a similar plan.

Whenever a state chooses to set up its own OSH program, which state has to assume all of the functions that had previously been performed by OSHA.  State programs receive up to 50% of their funding from the federal OSHA for their programs. 

It is certainly worth mentioning that the task of setting up a state OSH program is a very long and arduous process.  States have to devise and submit plans for approval to OSHA.  After they have been approved, OSHA will then check to make sure that the plans are implemented in a successful and effective manner.  Getting state programs approved can take more than two years. JH