Final answer:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor focused on assuring safe and healthful working conditions by setting, enforcing standards and offering training. OSHA protects employees by regulating workplace hazards and enforcing health and safety regulations. It was created by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the student's question is A. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA is an agency of the United States Department of Labor that was established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which was signed into law on December 29, 1970, by President Richard M. Nixon. The primary mission of OSHA is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women. This includes setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach, education, and assistance to employers and employees in order to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths.
Moreover, OSHA is responsible for enforcing a variety of whistleblower statutes and regulations, thus protecting employees who report violations of various workplace safety and health standards. The agency's standards are diverse, covering areas such as fall protection, trenching safety, exposure to infectious diseases, chemical hazards, and requirements for personal protective equipment.
It is also important for you to know that the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) outlines general health and safety regulations that employers must follow, and it gives workers the right to be informed about any hazards in their workplace so that they can perform their duties safely. Employers are not only required to comply with specific OSHA standards but also with the General Duty Clause of the OSH Act, which mandates employers to keep their workplaces free of serious recognized hazards even when no specific OSHA standard applies to the hazard in question.