Occupational safety and health (OSH) also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS) or workplace health and safety (WHS) is an area concerned with the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goals of occupational safety and health programs include to foster a safe and healthy work environment. OSH may also protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers, and many others who might be affected by the workplace environment. In the United States the term occupational health and safety is referred to as occupational health and occupational and non-occupational safety and includes safety for activities outside work. Occupational safety and health can be important for moral, legal, and financial reasons. In common-law jurisdictions, employers have a common law duty (reflecting an underlying moral obligation) to take reasonable care for the safety of their employees, Statute law may build upon this to impose additional general duties, introduce specific duties and create government bodies with powers to regulate workplace safety issues: details of this will vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Good OSH practices can also reduce employee injury and illness related costs, including medical care, sick leave and disability benefit costs.
