The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was signed into law 40 years ago today (April 28, 2011) by then-President Richard Nixon.

In a ceremony marking the anniversary, OSHA head David Michaels noted that, at the time of signing, 14,000 Americans were dying on the job every year, a number that has been reduced to 4,400 through OSHA regulations and oversight, he added.

"The empirical evidence is clear: OSHA doesn't kill jobs, it stops jobs from killing workers," he said in remarks made at the Center for American Progress recently.

Meanwhile, with budget cutting all the rage in the nation's capital–and regulations in general under challenge by the House of Representatives Oversight Committee–OSHA and every federal agency suddenly find themselves trying to defend their turf and ward off a reduction in funding.

Regardless of what happens with the budget fight, OSHA regulations will remain in place. To help businesses understand and comply with all these OSHA regulations, Personnel Concepts offers a variety of manuals, programs and posters. Check them out on the Web on our Personnel Concepts OSHA section.