OSHA/FMCSA/NIOSH

United States Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Occupational medicine/HEALTH
Clinicians

The mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by developing, setting and enforcing standards and by providing outreach, education, training and compliance assistance. Under the law, employers have the responsibility to provide a safe workplace.
Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other Licenced Healthcare Professionals (LHCP) often encounter work-related health and safety questions as they care for their patients. OSHA provides information, resources and links to help clinicians navigate OSHA's web site and aid clinicians in caring for workers.
If you are new to occupational health, sections of this page address important ethical, regulatory and clinical issues you will encounter. You can also use OSHA's A-Z Index or search engine (both at the top of all pages) to find information on specific hazardous exposures, specific occupations, specific industries, along with other occupational health topics. A number of useful links are listed under Resources below.
Occupational Health Practice
For clinicians establishing or working in an occupational health practice, many protocols and procedures will depend on the practice situation (i.e. freestanding clinic, corporate clinic, large clinic network) and on the industry or industries being served. However, the following are important considerations for any clinician providing occupational health services:

Review (or create) policies and procedures to assure compliance with OSHA standards as well as compliance with other certification and licensing bodies.
Identify occupational health hazards, such as biological, chemical, physical, ergonomic and psychological, for all worker groups and industries being served.
Consider these risks, along with OSHA regulations, when designing and performing worker examinations and medical surveillance.
Implement preventive measures that address occupational health risks in your practice such a protecting workers from Bloodborne Pathogens and Hazard Communication.
Understand applicable state and local regulations related to issues such as pharmaceutical and vaccine storage, workplace safety requirements and medical waste.
Be familiar with the screening protocols, procedures and calibrations required for equipment used, such as spirometers and audiometers, and with the certification requirements for staff performing the testing.
Integrate worker health and safety education into clinical practice whenever possible. Be aware of the health and safety training that employers provide to workers.