What is the role of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and health of workers across various industries, including healthcare. Its primary function is to create and enforce regulations that protect employees from workplace hazards and ensure a safe working environment. This encompasses a wide range of health and safety topics, including exposure to potentially hazardous materials, ergonomics, and ensuring proper safety protocols are followed within the workplace. By focusing on employee health and safety compliance, OSHA helps minimize risks and promotes a culture of safety in the workplace, which is essential, especially in settings like hospitals and clinics where medical procedures are performed.

The other options, while relevant to healthcare practices, do not accurately represent OSHA’s primary role. OSHA does not directly regulate disinfectants, classify medical devices, or publish infection prevention standards; those activities fall under the jurisdiction of other agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which focus on specific aspects of public health and safety within the medical field.