The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA<\/a>) is the federal agency tasked with enforcing workplace safety standards and regulations in the United States. The OSHA operates as a division of the US Department of Labor (DOL<\/a>). The agency\u2019s authority and general regulations come from the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act<\/a>), a federal law passed in 1970 to protect an employee\u2019s right to work in a safe and healthy environment.<\/p>\n Although every worker should be able to work in a safe environment, not all workers are covered by the OSHA. The following types of workers may be covered by the OSH Act, but they aren\u2019t covered by the OSHA:<\/p>\n The OSH Act created a dedicated program for federal government employees. Under Section 10, the head of each federal agency is responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for the employees in their agency. As such, most safety inspections and employee complaints are handled internally.<\/p>\n The OSHA informally monitors federal agencies and can conduct a safety inspection in response to a federal employee\u2019s report of workplace hazards, but they don\u2019t impose any fines or penalties for safety violations.<\/p>\n There is on major exception to this rule, and that\u2019s the US Postal Service. A 1998 amendment to the OSH Act placed the USPS under the jurisdiction of the OSHA.<\/p>\n Employees who work for state and local government agencies aren\u2019t covered by the OSHA, but they\u2019re still protected by the OSH Act providing they work in a state that has an OSHA-approved workplace safety program.<\/p>\n A state-sponsored, OSHA-approved workplace safety program is required to offer at least the minimum standards provided in the OSH Act, though many programs choose to impose higher standards that benefit employees. US territories and states also have the right to develop programs specifically for state and local government employees.<\/p>\n Individuals who are the sole proprietor and employee of their business are not protected by the OSH Act or subject to the jurisdiction of the OSHA. It\u2019s assumed that self-employed individuals can manage their own safety, as there isn\u2019t a supervisor or employer that can dictate their work environment.<\/p>\n The OSH Act does not cover family-owned farms that only employ immediate family members. That said, a property owner is liable for what takes place on their property, so the farm-owner may be held personally liable if an immediate family member is injured or killed on the farm.<\/p>\n There are a handful of industries that operate under the control of a dedicated federal agency, and these industries are exempt from the OSH Act. Examples include mining (covered by the Mine Safety & Health Administration), airports (covered by the Federal Aviation Administration), and nuclear power plants (covered by the Department of Energy).<\/p>\n The OSH Act is clear about an employer\u2019s workplace safety responsibilities and the protections afforded to employees, but it\u2019s a bit of a legal gray-area when it comes to defining what actually qualifies as an employee. That\u2019s an important distinction because the OSH Act covers employees, and by extension doesn\u2019t extend to workers who aren\u2019t employees.<\/p>\n The OSH Act defines an employer as one who is engaged in a business affecting commerce and has employees, and an employee is regarded as anyone who is employed by the employer.<\/p>\n As that definition is fairly ambiguous, the courts have established a 13-question test to assess whether or not a worker should be classified as an employee:<\/p>\n The answers to these questions should be considered collectively rather than individually. If the test indicates that the worker is an employee, then the worker is covered by the OSHA. If the worker doesn\u2019t qualify as an employee, they\u2019re likely an independent contractor, partner, intern, or volunteer, and they are not covered by the OSHA.<\/p>\n An independent contractor is a worker who provides services to another business that\u2019s subject to an agreement or contract. The contractor is their own boss, has the right to do business with whomever they choose, is essentially considered a self-employed worker. As such, independent contractors aren\u2019t covered by the OSHA.<\/p>\n Owners are not subject to the OSHA. If all of the workers in the business are part-owners (like in a cooperative corporation where everyone is a partner), then the business doesn\u2019t have any employees. The courts have set the following standards to determine if a member of a business is a partner:<\/p>\n Interns aren\u2019t covered by the OSHA, though it\u2019s not uncommon to see employees who are misclassified as interns. To qualify as an intern, the worker and the internship program should meet the following criteria:<\/p>\n Generally speaking, this only applies to charitable, humanitarian, and religious organizations, since commercial entities can\u2019t have volunteers. To qualify, a volunteer should perform their work without any expectation, promise, or receipt of compensation.<\/p>\n The state of Arizona is a great place to live and work, but knowing the employment laws will help you a lot. Whether you are a newcomer to the state or a lifelong resident, understanding your workplace protections<\/a> is good for your career, and the more you know, the better.<\/p>\n\n
Federal Government Employees<\/h2>\n
State and Local Government Employees<\/h2>\n
Self-employed Workers<\/h2>\n
Family Farms<\/h2>\n
Federally-Regulated Industries<\/h2>\n
Non-Employees<\/h2>\n
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Independent Contractors<\/h2>\n
Partners<\/h2>\n
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Interns<\/h2>\n
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Volunteers<\/h2>\n
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