What does the Occupational Safety and Health Administration primarily set guidelines for?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is focused on ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for employees across various industries, including healthcare. The guidelines set by OSHA aim to prevent workplace injuries and ensure employee safety. Ergonomic practices, which involve designing workspaces and tasks to fit the physical capabilities of workers, play a crucial role in minimizing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders, particularly during physically demanding tasks such as transferring patients.

By providing guidelines on ergonomic practices, OSHA helps healthcare workers avoid injuries that could arise from repetitive motions or improper lifting techniques. This focus on injury prevention is central to OSHA’s mission. Other areas, such as personal hygiene, patient comfort, and nutrition, while important in healthcare, do not fall under the primary area of OSHA’s guidelines, which mainly emphasize the health and safety of workers.