Figuring Out the Alphabet Soup: OSHA vs. ANSI
Safety standards and expectations can be complex, confusing, and even frustrating. However, these expectations are also important to understand and essential to follow in order to keep our workers safe. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) both play major roles in setting our workplace safety requirements. While this will not be a deep dive into all the details of each organization, it can serve as a quick way to understand the difference between the two and the basic ways in which they work together to impact our safety standards.
OSHA is part of our US Department of Labor, with a mission of assuring that the United States’ workforce has “safe and healthful working conditions free from unlawful retaliation.” Among other responsibilities, this part of the national government works with state level OSHA programs to ensure that the standards set by OSHA are being met. It is important to note that OSHA sets minimum requirements, allowing room for states and employers to go above and beyond those standards.
The Memorandum of Understanding between The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and The American National Standards Institute (2001) lays out the relationship between OSHA and ANSI, noting that ANSI will aid in the development of standards for occupational safety and health issues. OSHA then chooses whether to honor standards having been researched and vetted by ANSI.
So, what does that make ANSI?
“The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private, non-profit organization that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standards and conformity assessment system.” ANSI does not situate itself as a standards developing organization, but rather it serves as a means of providing a framework for “fair standards development and quality conformity assessment systems.” They aim for neutrality in order to prioritize integrity and bring private and public sectors together in the conversation.
Together, OSHA and ANSI ultimately work to set standards that will effectively keep our workforce safe. To take a 30,000 foot view, OSHA often sets the general rule of when and why, while ANSI sets the specifics of the what and how. For example, OSHA sets the requirement for when high visibility apparel must be worn. ANSI lays out the specifics of what that high-visibility apparel must be and how it must be designed and worn. While the inner workings are ultimately a lot more complex, this is a good way to begin to understand the difference.
As always, we are here to help tease out any information and answer any questions you may have. Give us a call at 919-602-2503 or email us at marketing@safetypackonline.com anytime!
Additional Resources:
About OSHA: https://www.osha.gov/aboutosha
About ANSI: https://www.ansi.org/about/introduction
The Memorandum of Understanding between The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and The American National Standards Institute (2001): https://www.ansi.org/about/introduction