The Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA), a federal entity, is charged with every issue concerning workplace safety, and health. Primarily they are regulatory in nature, but also have enforcement authority. OSHA works with a number of other entities, including sudivisions of the Center for Disease Control.

OSHA, allows states to maintain their own office's of Occupational Safety and Health, through a legislative act. Specifically, Section 18 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act) encourages States to develop and operate their own job safety and health programs. States must set job safety and health standards that are "at least as effective as" comparable federal standards. (Most States adopt standards identical to federal ones.) States have the option to promulgate standards covering hazards not addressed by federal standards.

Those states that fail to maintain these standards, or those that have significant industrial injuries, again are monitored by OSHA.