Public schools and their districts along with other state and local government institutions are not subject to federal OSHA regulation. However, many states have adopted federal OSHA regulatory requirements in their state statutes for the public sector employee safety.
Private schools are considered employers under the OSH Act and do fall under the regulatory guidance of federal OSHA or in states with OSHA-approved state plans.
State plan states are authorized by federal OSHA to run their own workplace safety programs, and these states protect both private and public sector workers by adopting regulations that are equivalent to or more stringent than federal OSHA regulations.
