The Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) is responsible for overseeing and enforcing all facility-specific requirements that fall under its authority.
The State Plan also has its own General Industry Standards that are distinct from OSHA while yet incorporating OSHA Regulations:
Smoking in the Workplace
Firefighter Protection
Electrical Hazards
Sharps Injury Prevention
Hazard Communication
Toxic Chemicals and Handling
Additionally, while incorporating OSHA regulations, the State Plan has its own General Industry Standards that are separate from OSHA:
Using tobacco products at work
Firefighter Safety
Electricity Risks
Injury Prevention by Sharps
Safeguarding Information
Handling of Toxic Chemicals
OSHA urges workers in supervisory positions to take OSHA 30 Hour courses and workers in entry-level positions to attend OSHA 10 Hour courses in order to earn their DOL cards since their specific safety rules are applied to a variety of occupational operations for Tennesseans. Employees that have completed their OSHA training are generally preferred by employers.
The following group of employees are still covered by federal OSHA’s jurisdiction in Tennessee:
Federal employment
The U.S. Postal Service plus private contractor-operated facilities engaged by USPS
Maritime employment EXCEPT for marine construction, which TOSHA covers
Railroad employment (not otherwise regulated by another federal agency)
Employment on military bases and at Tennessee Valley Authority facilities
Working conditions of cabin crew on board an aircraft that is in operation
Any hazard, industry, area, operation, or facility where the State Plan is unable to exercise jurisdiction effectively
