The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, P.L. 91-596, gives specific responsibilities to the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). The principal HEW responsibilities under the Act which became effective on April 28, 1971, include research on occupational safety and health problems, hazard evaluation, toxicity determinations, manpower development and training, and the establishment of a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to perform the function of the Secretary of HEW. Other responsibilities include special industry-wide studies of chronic or low level exposure to hazardous substances and research on psychological, motivational, and behavioral factors as they relate to occupational safety and health. This new legislation is designed to assure safe and healthful working conditions for the nation's working men and women and as such it provides broad authority to the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. Safe and healthful working conditions and consequently better health for the worker is the payoff for all of the planning and implementation activities of the Act.