Tuesday, May 01, 2012
(photo: snail-world.com)
Labor leaders and some Democrats are unhappy with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and its glacial pace of implementing new standards for protecting workers.
A 30-year review of OSHA safety rules revealed the agency put into effect 58 major standards from the 1980s until now. But 47 of those standards were implemented before 2000, meaning OSHA has averaged less than one a year over the past 12 years.
Senate Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, noted at a recent hearing to discuss OSHA that the Reagan Administration issued new rules at a rate four times faster than the Obama administration.
Historically, OSHA has averaged eight years to implement a new standard from start to finish. Compared to other federal agencies, OSHA takes 50% longer than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set a new standard and five times longer than the Securities and Exchange Commission.
OSHA has an annual budget of $565 million.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
GAO Chief: We Don’t Know Why OSHA Standards Take So Long (by Sandy Smith, EHS Today)
Why Does OSHA Move at a Glacial Pace? Democrat Calls on Obama Admin to Speed Up Safety Measures (by Mike Elk, In These Times)
Workplace Safety and Health: Multiple Challenges Lengthen OSHA’s Standard Setting (Government Accountability Office)
OSHA Issues Second-Ever Safety Violation Complaint for Entire Store Chain (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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