29 U.S.C. § 654
Section 654 · Duties of employers and employees
This is § 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
Amended 1 time on record
Applied in 428 court decisions — leading case Atlas Roofing Company Inc v. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission Irey (1977)
Most recently applied in UHS of Delaware, Inc. v. Secretary of Labor (June 2025)
Applied most in the Sixth Circuit Circuit (28 decisions)
Cases citing this section usually also cite 29 U.S.C. § 651 · 29 U.S.C. § 660 · 29 U.S.C. § 655
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
(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 chapter.
(b) Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this chapter which are applicable to his own actions and conduct.