Managing Human Resources, Eight Edition

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)

Changing political and social values during the 1960s added considerable momentum to the movement to regulate workplace safety. In 1969, the death of 78 coal miners in a mine explosion galvanized public opinion and led to the passage of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act to regulate mine health and safety.13 Although no single event is responsible for the passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) , the dramatic increase in reported injury rates and workplace deaths during the 1960s (reflecting the inability of workers’ compensation laws to give employers adequate incentives to maintain a safe work environment) was probably the major impetus.14 During the latter part of that ...