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Meet Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels

Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels

You Have the Right to a Safe Workplace

Worker injuries, illnesses and deaths should never be accepted as simply "the cost of doing business". Even one death on the job is one too many, and every workplace injury or illness places a heavy burden on our nation.

With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created OSHA to establish and enforce workplace standards that protect workers' rights and ensure that employers act responsibly to provide workplaces that are free from known dangers that can hurt workers.

Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez’s vision for the Department of Labor is one in which “we must do everything in our power to ensure a safe and level playing field for American workers.” OSHA supports this commitment with these priorities:

  • Establishing and enforcing workplace safety and health standards
  • Conducting targeted inspections of employers who demonstrate indifference to their legal obligation to protect their workers
  • Ensuring that all employers accurately report worker injuries, illnesses and deaths
  • Giving workers a voice in how workplaces protect their safety and health

The OSH Act states that if you believe that your employer is not following OSHA standards or that there are serious dangers where you work, you have a right to file a complaint asking OSHA to inspect your workplace. OSHA operates about 100 offices nationwide, offers a toll-free phone number (1-800-321-6742) with multi-language operators, and makes abundant information available for free on its Web site (www.OSHA.gov). Contact OSHA if you have questions or want to file a complaint. We will keep your information confidential. We are here to help you stay safe and healthy on the job.

For employers, the OSH Act's enforcement and penalty provisions are a clear reminder that everyone's priority should be to prevent workers from being hurt on the job - not simply reacting after a tragedy. To help employers obey the law, OSHA offers abundant compliance assistance, such as the free and confidential On-site Consultation Program.

The U.S. Department of Labor and OSHA are committed to President Obama's pledge to provide its citizens with a government that is open, transparent and responsive to all people living and working in America. You can follow OSHA and communicate with us through our live Web chats, public hearings, rulemaking open comment periods, RSS feeds, the YouTube Channel, and by subscribing to the DOL Newsletter and OSHA's QuickTakes Newsletter.

David Michaels, PhD, MPH
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA

For more information about David Michaels, contact:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
200 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20210

Phone: (202) 693-2000

E-mail: PublicMichaelsDavid@dol.gov

* Accessibility Assistance: Contact OSHA's Office of Communications at 202-693-1999 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

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