The Occupational Health and Safety Administration exists in the United States of America and unlike Canada it is a unifying force. In every state it administers occupational health and safety, sets the legislation and provides resources. For example, you can look up emergency response planning, it has a very detailed and excellent section on that, and as well you can look up resources such as e-videos on chicken/poultry processing, retail. The resources are innumerable and are very useful for anyone that wants to set up, administer and use a health and safety program in the US.
In Canada we don’t have a comparable organization such as the Occupational Health and Safety Administration in the US. Each province in Canada administers their own legislation and the feds have their own as well which is harmonized with each of the provinces and territories in Canada.
The closest we have to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration in Canada is the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety which is based in Hamilton, Ontario. This center is a collaboration between government, industry and labor. It has a toll-free number which you can phone if you have any occupational health and safety questions and they will strive to answer it or get back to you because they have an extensive library of health and safety information. As well, they provide courses. There are courses on the globally harmonized system and how to implement it and they have web based resources which are very detailed and thorough.
So in the US use the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to really drive your health and safety program forward in terms of compliance, meeting compliance, knowing legislation and having adequate resources available to really create a stellar health and safety program. In Canada, use the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety. If you have any burning health and safety issues they can answer it. They are experts and they have web-based resources that are second to none.
So really, in both the US and Canada you have two organizations that are simply superb for health and safety information, meeting legislative requirements and creating health and safety programs that rock!