OSHA Inspections Down, Workplace Fatalities Up In 2016

The number of workplace inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration dropped to a 20-year low in fiscal 2016, and was down 11 percent from 2015. This was the fourth consecutive year that the number declined, according to a report from Blooomberg BNA. OSHA says the decline correlates with a drop in inspection resources, and according to the Bloomberg report there have been staff cuts and a “stagnating” budget at OSHA over the past several years. But also of note: More stringent injury reporting requirements that went into effect in 2015 have changed the criteria for selecting inspection targets. Previously the majority of inspections were “programmed,” meaning based on factors like how hazardous the particular industry is. But in 2016 the majority of inspections were unprogrammed, meaning they were a response to a report or other source of information about a particular site. Meanwhile, according to a release in December by the Bureau of Labor statistics, the number of workplace fatalities rose in 2015 and was the highest it’s been since 2008. Ninety-three percent of those killed on the job in 2015 were men, and the most dangerous occupational category was “transportation incidents.” That includes accidents involving heavy trucks, which killed 745. The rate of workplace fatalities, however – deaths per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers – fell slightly from the previous year and has been declining for a decade.