There's no OSHA standard for every hazard. No regulation covers every machine, every chemical, every configuration of a workplace. So what happens when a hazard is real, serious, and not covered in the code books?

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That's where the General Duty Clause comes in.

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OSH Act of 1970

(a) Each employer --

(1) shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;
(2) shall comply with occupational safety and health standards promulgated under this Act.

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(b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.

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The General Duty Clause is one of the most consequential clauses in American labor law. It's not a technical standard. It's not a checklist. It's a baseline obligation that applies everywhere OSHA's specific rules don't reach.

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Understanding it isn't optional. It's the difference between compliance on paper and safety in practice.

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 § 5(a)(1), 29 U.S.C. § 654(a)(1) (2018).

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Premises Liability

Property doesn't have to be unsafe on purpose to create liability. A wet floor, a broken step, poor lighting in a stairwell — hazards like these don't need intent behind them to cause real harm.

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That's the foundation of premises liability.

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It's the legal principle that property owners and occupiers have a duty to keep their premises reasonably safe for the people who come onto them. When that duty is ignored, and someone gets hurt as a result, the owner can be held responsible, regardless of whether the harm was intentional.

Rowland v. Christian, 69 Cal. 2d 108, 443 P.2d 561 (1968)

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Workplace violence prevention requirements vary by state, industry, and type of employer. While there is no single federal standard covering every organization, employers are expected to address recognized workplace hazards, and some states require written prevention plans, employee training, incident reporting, recordkeeping, and regular program reviews. Companies operating in multiple states may need to follow different requirements at each location.

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Organizations should use the OSHA State Plans Directory and the labor or occupational safety agency in each state where they operate as starting points for current compliance information. Because requirements continue to change, employers should regularly review their policies, training, reporting procedures, and response plans and seek qualified legal or compliance guidance when needed.

https://www.osha.gov/workplace-violence/enforcement

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Do your research! Check your state's current and pending legislation for more information.

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Regulatory Compliance

Whether you're running a hospital, a construction site, or a data center, someone, a federal agency, a state regulator, an industry body, has already decided what "doing it safely and legally" looks like.

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That's the reality of regulatory compliance: it touches nearly every sector, just in different forms.

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A hospital answers to HIPAA for patient privacy and the FDA for medical devices. A construction company answers to OSHA for job-site safety and local building codes for what actually gets built. A financial firm answers to the SEC and FINRA for how it handles money and discloses risk. Different industries, different regulators, but the same underlying principle: compliance isn't optional, and ignorance of the rule is never a defense.

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Start here to figure out your own compliance checklist:

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SBA – Regulations, Licenses & Permits
https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/apply-licenses-permits

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This is the best general starting point, it helps you identify federal, state, and local requirements based on your industry and location.