Virginia State Requirements

What is the Virginia State Plan (VOSH)?

The Virginia State Plan, known as Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH), is Virginia’s OSHA-approved occupational safety and health program. It is administered by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI). The plan was initially approved by OSHA on September 28, 1976 and certified on August 21, 1984 under 29 CFR 1952.21.

Who it Covers

The Virginia State Plan applies to most private-sector workplaces in the state, except for specific exclusions:

• 1. Maritime employment (shipyards, marine terminals, longshoring)
• 2. Contract workers and contractor-run U.S. Postal Service (USPS) operations
• 3. Worksites on federal military bases and federal enclaves ceded to federal jurisdiction
• 4. Federal agency operations, such as the U.S. Department of Energy’s Southeastern Power Administration Kerr–Philpott System.
• 5. Aircraft cabin crewmembers while the aircraft is in operation

State and local government employees, including state/local maritime workers, are fully covered by VOSH.

Federal government employees, such as USPS federal workers, are not covered by VOSH. They remain under federal OSHA jurisdiction.

Standards and Regulations

VOSH adopts most federal OSHA safety and health standards, but Virginia also has state-specific standards that go beyond federal requirements. Examples include:

• Reverse signal operation safety (vehicles, machinery, and equipment) in general industry and in construction.
• Telecommunications: approach distances for electrical hazards; confined spaces standards in telecommunication industry
• Tree trimming operations
• Overhead High Voltage Line Safety Act
• Field sanitation in agriculture
• Medical services, first aid, sanitation, and steel erection (construction)

Enforcement & Oversight

• Scheduled inspections
• Complaints investigations
• Fatality and accident investigations
• Imminent danger reports.

• Continues to monitor the Virginia State Plan to confirm it is as effective as federal OSHA.
• Retains authority to issue, modify, or revoke federal standards.
• Applies federal enforcement in excluded areas not covered by VOSH.

Voluntary & Assistance Programs:

VOSH provides:

• Voluntary and cooperative programs to help employers improve workplace safety.
• Free on-site consultation services for private, state, and local employers to identify hazards and correct them before enforcement becomes necessary.