What Resources and Services Are Available on OSHA.gov?

OSHA.gov is the official website of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It is a public reference and filing portal rather than a commercial service, so the resources below are organized by what you are trying to do: understand a standard, bring a workplace into compliance, train workers, or report a hazard. The site is primarily in English, with selected bilingual materials where noted.

Standards, Regulations, and Interpretations

The core of the site is the body of enforceable occupational safety and health rules and the guidance that explains them.

• Standards and regulations — the text of OSHA standards, organized by topic (for example, fall protection, hazard communication, machine guarding) and by industry.
• Interpretations and compliance letters — official agency positions on how a standard applies in specific situations. Useful when the rule text alone is ambiguous.
• Federal Register notices and rulemaking — proposed, interim, and final rules, plus the public comment process.
• State plans — some states run their own OSHA-approved programs. The site indicates which states cover private and/or public sector workers under their own rules, which may differ from federal ones.

Compliance Assistance for Employers

If you are an employer trying to meet obligations rather than research a rule, these are the practical entry points:

• Compliance assistance guides — plain-language explanations of what a standard requires and how to meet it.
• eTools — interactive, topic-specific modules (for example, on silica, ergonomics, or safety and health programs) that walk through hazards and controls.
• Sample programs and templates — written safety and health program examples, hazard assessment checklists, and training materials you can adapt.
• On-site consultation — a separate service, delivered through state programs, offering confidential advice and help identifying hazards, with a defined relationship to enforcement. Eligibility and scope are set by the individual consultation program, so check the state page rather than assuming universal coverage.
• Small business resources — guidance aimed at operations without a dedicated safety staff.

Training and Education

• OSHA Training Institute (OTI) and Education Centers — the structure behind the numbered courses (for example, the 10-hour and 30-hour outreach courses) and who is authorized to deliver them.
• Outreach training program — explains course content, who should take which course, and how to find an authorized trainer.
• Training requirements by standard — a reference showing which standards require worker training and what that training must cover.
• Publications and fact sheets — downloadable handouts suitable for toolbox talks or posting.

Worker Resources and Reporting Channels

Workers can use the site independently of their employer:

• File a complaint — the online and phone channels for reporting a workplace hazard or violation, including the option to request an inspection and how to ask that your name not be revealed to the employer.
• Whistleblower protection — information on retaliation protections and how to file a whistleblower complaint, with deadlines that vary by the statute involved.
• Report a fatality or severe injury — the reporting requirements and timeframes that apply to employers.
• Worker rights — the right to a safe workplace, to receive training, to review records of hazards and injuries, and to refuse imminently dangerous work under defined conditions.
• File an appeal — the process for contesting citations or abatement dates.

Data, Statistics, and Recordkeeping

• Injury and illness data — establishment-specific injury and illness information submitted under the electronic recordkeeping rule, where applicable.
• Recordkeeping requirements — which employers must keep OSHA 300 logs, what triggers reporting, and the forms involved.
• Inspection data — inspection and citation history searchable by establishment.
• Statistics and research — fatality and injury trends, plus links to the research arm of the agency.

Multilingual and Accessibility Materials

Selected publications, fact sheets, and campaign materials are available in Spanish and other languages. The Safe + Sound Week campaign, for example, offers bilingual materials and activities for participating workplaces. Availability varies by topic, so if a specific document is not translated, check the publications index rather than assuming it does not exist.

How to Choose an Entry Point

One practical caveat: the site is large and its navigation reflects the agency's structure, not a user's task. Searching by the exact standard number or the hazard name is usually faster than browsing. And because state-plan states can impose different or additional requirements, confirm which rules apply to your location before relying on federal text alone.