Determined to do something about the high numbers of job-related deaths and injuries to workers in the 1970s, President Richard M. Nixon signed the Occupational Safety and Health Act on December 29, 1970. The OSH Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which formally came into being on April 28, 1971. The OSH Act also established the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH. NIOSH is the research agency for occupational safety and health. It is not part of OSHA, but is considered a sister agency. NIOSH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
