The mission of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is to save lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of America's workers. To accomplish this, federal and state governments must work in partnership with the more than 100 million working men and women and their six and a half million employers who are covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

OSHA and its state partners have approximately 2100 inspectors, plus complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support personnel spread over more than 200 offices throughout the country. This staff establishes protective standards, enforces those standards, and reaches out to employers and employees through technical assistance and consultation programs.

Clyde Payne is the Area Director for the Jackson Area Regional Office for OSHA. He received his BS in Environmental Science in 1973 from Lamar University, and his MS in Environmental Science in 1978 from the University of Texas at Dallas. He has previously served as a Wastewater Treatment Specialist for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, an Industrial Hygienist for the Dallas Area Office of OSHA, and Assistant Area Director for the Fort Worth Area Office. Mr. Payne currently has jurisdiction for enforcement of the Occupational Safety and Health Act for all of Mississippi. Clyde is a native Texan coming to the Jackson Area in 1991 for the He has served on many details and task forces for special projects over the years with OSHA including time with the Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA in Washington and a major petrochemical explosion. He is currently a member of the Region IV Redesign Team which assists OSHA Region IV in reinvention of its programs to obtain results and customer satisfaction.