Labor Chief’s Renewed Focus on Workplace Safety Mean’s FP’s OSHA Inspections Tracker More Important Than Ever

When asked at a recent Congressional hearing about which subagency at the Department of Labor would be given priority funding in the near future, the head of the DOL had a quick and definitive answer: “OSHA.” Marty Walsh’s pronouncement at the May 17 House Subcommittee hearing sends the clearest signal yet that employers across all industries need to double down on workplace safety and prioritize compliance, as you can expect an increased focus by federal officials throughout the rest of the year and into 2023. Now more than ever, you should take advantage of FP’s first-of-its-kind OSHA Inspections Tracker, allowing you to examine the up-to-the-minute state of workplace safety inspections in a detailed manner. By clicking here and maneuvering around the map and accompanying data lists, you can determine the likelihood of your business being visited by OSHA inspectors based on your location, industry, and company size.

What’s in Store

The May 17 hearing was intended to set the table for agency funding for FY2023 (which begins on October 1, 2022). While OSHA saw a 3% budget increase from 2021 to 2022, lawmakers want to see even more emphasis placed on workplace safety in 2023. And given Labor Secretary Walsh’s testimony noted above, he is in alignment with them on that point.

If the increased budget is indeed increased as anticipated, the area where you can expect to see the biggest boost is in the number of workplace safety inspectors hired. OSHA had only 750 safety inspectors in place at the end of FY2021, which is the lowest number in the history of the agency. Walsh wants to see that number substantially increased as the year rolls on and into the next fiscal year, so you should plan on greater odds of you facing a safety inspection over the next six to eight months (at least).

What You Can Do About It

To understand the scope of the situation, we recommend you bookmark the OSHA Inspections Tracker and check back often, examining the up-to-the-minute state of workplace safety inspections. Some of the more interesting bits of data include:

• There have been over 26,000 OSHA inspections launched to date in 2022, with an average of over 5,200 per month. The numbers have steadily increased as the year has progressed, as the first few months of the year only saw an average of about 4,800 inspections per month.  
• The states with the highest number of inspections to date this year:
  • California: 2,610
  • Washington: 1,962
  • Texas: 1,840
  • Michigan: 1,593
  • New York: 1,168
  • Illinois: 1,047
  • Ohio: 943
  • North Carolina: 937
  • Virginia: 892
  • Pennsylvania: 834
• The states with the highest number of inspections when adjusted for population:
  • Washington: 565 inspections per 1M employees
  • Alaska: 466
  • Oregon: 399
  • Hawaii: 386
  • Michigan: 375
• The states with the biggest increases in monthly inspections from April to May:
  • New Mexico: 166% increase
  • Wyoming: 100%
  • Missouri: 69%
• The industries hit hardest by OSHA inspections:
  • Construction: 41% of all inspections
  • Manufacturing: 19%
  • Healthcare: 7%
  • Retail: 5%
  • Waste Management: 5%

There’s More

This Insight only scrapes the surface of the treasure trove of data and information that can be found on our website. For further information about OSHA workplace safety inspections being carried out across the country, and to run your own analyses of our data, you can visit Fisher Phillips’ OSHA Inspections Tracker by clicking here. 

Fisher Phillips will continue to monitor the rapidly developing situation and provide updates as appropriate. Make sure you are subscribed to Fisher Phillips’ Insight System to get the most up-to-date information. For further information, contact your Fisher Phillips attorney, the author of this Insight, or any attorney in our Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group.