EPA & OSHA Partner on Chemical Safety to Protect WorkersEPA & OSHA Partner on Chemical Safety to Protect Workers

The two agencies anticipate that better coordination under this MOU will result in improved workplace health and safety protections for workers using existing chemical substances under TSCA and the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Kristen Kazarian, Managing Editor

January 16, 2025

2 Min Read
The MOU is for implementation of TSCA Section 6.
The MOU Between EPA and OSHA is for implementation of TSCA Section 6.Smederevac/iStock/Getty ImMages Plus via Getty Images

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing their coordination on EPA’s work to assess and manage existing chemicals under section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

The EPA and OSHA anticipate that better coordination under this MOU will result in improved workplace health and safety protections for workers using existing chemical substances under TSCA and the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act and allow for effective implementation of our national workplace and environmental protection statutes.

EPA and OSHA will share information on:

  • TSCA section 6 prioritization, risk evaluation, rulemaking and implementation efforts as it pertains to chemical hazards in the workplace.

  • Outreach and communication materials for stakeholders about EPA rules and OSHA requirements, including TSCA section 6 and OSHA rules that regulate the same chemical hazards.

  • Inspections and enforcement activity such as each agency’s areas of focus, complaints, inspections and potential violations where mutual interest exists.

  • Protocols to ensure that confidential information is being properly exchanged between the agencies when carrying out law enforcement actions or otherwise protecting health or the environment.

Related:US Chemical Production Saw Year-End Increase

TSCA regulates the use of chemicals more broadly while the OSH Act regulates health and safety in the workplace. TSCA covers a wider range of workers that are not covered under the OSH Act, such as volunteers, self-employed workers, and some state and local government workers. Therefore, EPA’s findings and occupational risk mitigations may differ from OSHA’s. For example, while OSHA has set regulatory exposure limits for some chemicals, the majority of the limits were set shortly after the adoption of the OSH Act in 1970. By contrast, EPA’s exposure limits established as part of current risk management rules are derived from current scientific review.

Requirements set under TSCA must use the best available science to address unreasonable risk, identified without consideration of cost or other non-risk factors; whereas standards under the OSH Act are constrained by requirements that OSHA prove proposed controls are economically and technically feasible.

About the Author

Kristen Kazarian

Managing Editor

Kristen Kazarian has been a writer and editor for more than three decades. She has worked at several consumer magazines and B2B publications in the fields of food and beverage, packaging, processing, women's interest, local news, health and nutrition, fashion and beauty, automotive, and IT.

Sign up for the Powder & Bulk Solids Weekly newsletter.

You May Also Like