The Occupational Safety and Health Administration aims to ensure worker safety and health in the United States by working with employers and employees to create better working environments. Since its inception in 1971, OSHA has helped to cut workplace fatalities by more than 60 percent and occupational injury and illness rates by 40 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has doubled from 58 million workers at 3.5 million worksites to more than 115 million workers at 7.2 million sites.
In Fiscal Year 2005, OSHA has more than 2,220 employees, including 1,100 inspectors. The agency's appropriation is $468.1 million.