Final answer:
The primary purpose of occupational health and safety legislation, like OSHA, is to protect workers by ensuring a safe working environment and allowing them to participate in safety issues. Employers must provide training, personal protective equipment, and adhere to safety standards, and workers have the right to information and participation in safety discussions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of occupational health and safety legislation, specifically the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), is to protect workers from health and safety hazards on the job. One of the main purposes highlighted in the question is (a) to allow workers to participate in safety issues, which aligns with OSHA's requirement that employers inform and train their workers about workplace hazards in a language they can understand. Employers are responsible for providing a safe working environment by following OSHA standards, such as providing necessary personal protective equipment at no cost, conducting workplace tests to monitor for hazards, and ensuring that their workers are properly trained on safety procedures.
Workers have rights under OSHA, which include working in conditions that do not pose a serious risk, filing a complaint for workplace inspections, receiving training and information about workplace hazards, and participating in safety discussions and decisions. The other options mentioned in the question, such as suing employers or receiving compensation for injuries, are related consequences or processes that may occur if OSHA standards are not adhered to, but they are not the primary purposes of the legislation.