The October government shutdown has reduced projected worksite inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) from 39,250 to 37,635, having lost an estimated 1,400 site visits during the budget-squabble shutdown.
But with the agency now fully funded at $207.8 million and the whistleblower program increased by $2 million, OSHA spokesperson Lauren North told Bloomberg News yesterday that the new projection should hold.
On March 4, OSHA is expected to reveal its plans for Fiscal 2015, which starts next October, along with state allocation figures.
In Fiscal 2013 the agency conducted 39,271 inspections, but OSHA Administrator David Michaels has been advocating for fewer but more extensive and time-consuming inspections. An average inspection takes six hours to conduct and six months to process.