OSHA State Plans: which states run their own workplace safety program
Which 22 State Plans cover private employers such as tree companies, which seven cover government workers only, and what OSHA says about how the state programs relate to the federal standards.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page reports what the official source says. It is not legal advice: ask the office named here. It sets out which states run their own OSHA-approved workplace safety program, because OSHA says these plans cover most private sector workers in their states. The rules those programs add for tree work, where the pages read name them, are on the tree work safety rules by state guide. All plan names and regulators below are as OSHA's State Plans page lists them.
What OSHA says a State Plan is
OSHA describes State Plans as workplace safety and health programs that OSHA approves and that a state or territory runs. It counts 22 plans that reach both private employers and state and local government, and seven that reach state and local government only. It says OSHA monitors the plans and that each must protect workers at least as well as federal OSHA does. OSHA's page on tree care standards adds that the standards and enforcement of a State Plan must be at least as effective as federal OSHA's, and that a plan may set different or stricter requirements. The same page says tree care is held to every general industry standard in 29 CFR 1910. See OSHA's State Plans page and the OSHA tree care standards page.
The 22 plans that cover private employers
For each plan below, OSHA says the plan covers most private sector workers and all state and local government workers. The regulator column gives the name OSHA shows for the state's own program.
| State or territory | Regulator as OSHA names it | Who the plan covers |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH) | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Arizona | Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH) | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| California | Cal/OSHA | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Hawaii | State of Hawaii, Occupational Safety and Health | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Labor | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Iowa | IOSHA | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Maryland | Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH), Division of Labor and Industry | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Michigan | LEO, Labor and Economic Opportunity | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Nevada | Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Industrial Relations (DIR) | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| New Mexico | Occupational Health and Safety Bureau | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| North Carolina | Occupational Safety and Health | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Oregon | Oregon Occupational Safety and Health | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Puerto Rico | Departamento del Trabajo y Recursos Humanos | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| South Carolina | SC OSHA | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Tennessee | TOSHA | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Utah | Utah Occupational Safety and Health Division | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Vermont | Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration (VOSHA) | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Labor and Industry | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Washington | Washington State Department of Labor and Industries | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
| Wyoming | OSHA, Wyoming Department of Workforce Services | Most private sector workers and all state and local government workers |
The seven plans for government workers only
OSHA lists Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and the US Virgin Islands as plans covering state and local government workers only. For each of them the page says private sector employers and their workers are covered by federal OSHA. A private tree company in those places therefore falls under federal OSHA, according to the page. In the other states and territories, OSHA says there is no approved State Plan and federal OSHA jurisdiction covers most private sector workers, while state and local government workers are not covered by federal OSHA.
Consultation and tree care pages
OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program page says the service is primarily for smaller businesses and is no-cost, confidential and separate from OSHA enforcement. It says consultants come from state agencies or universities. OSHA's State Plans page features Virginia's efforts to increase worker safety related to tree trimming. OSHA's tree care industry page lists tree care work publications and notes that tree care firms offer services including pruning, removal, plant health care and cabling and bracing, along with consulting. See OSHA's On-Site Consultation page and OSHA's tree care industry overview.