Who OSHA Covers

Who does OSHA cover? Since the United States comprises its 50 states and its territories - and since OSHA rules are federal laws (which can conflict with state laws) - the answer to this question is not always simple.

OSHA covers the following employers and workers:

• Private sector employers and workers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and other U.S. jurisdictions (which will be explained in detail later)
• Some public sector employers and workers in all 50 U.S. states
• Some public sector employers and workers in "jurisdictions under federal authority." This includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Island, Johnston Island, and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands as defined in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act.

OSHA does not cover the following employers, employees, and workplaces:

• Self-employed workers
• Farms employing solely the immediate family
• Workplaces where "other federal agencies, operating under the authority of other federal laws, regulate worker safety." (This includes most workplaces concerning mining, nuclear energy, nuclear weapons manufacture, and many portions of the transportation industries.)
• Employees of state and local governments (unless they work in one of the states that has an OSHA-approved State Plan)

To learn more about HAZWOPER visit our HAZWOPER 40 Hour Online Training web page.