An OSHA State Plan is an OSHA-approved state workplace safety program that must be at least as effective as federal OSHA, such as Cal/OSHA.
An OSHA State Plan is a workplace safety and health program run by a state or U.S. territory and approved and monitored by federal OSHA under Section 18 of the OSH Act. State Plans must be at least as effective as federal OSHA, and many adopt standards and requirements that go further. Some State Plans cover both private and public employers, while others cover only state and local government workers, leaving private employers under federal OSHA.
A national contractor working in California must follow Cal/OSHA requirements, including a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program and the state's heat illness prevention standard, which go beyond federal OSHA rules.
Browse state and federal requirements in SafetyIQ's regulations library.
OSHA publishes a list and map of approved State Plans on its website, showing whether each plan covers private and public employers or public employers only.
State Plans adopt standards that are at least as effective as federal standards. Employers follow the state's rules, which often match federal standards but may be stricter or broader.
Federal OSHA generally keeps authority over federal agencies and certain workplaces, such as some maritime operations, even in State Plan states.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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