The National Employment Law Project (NELP), which advocates for stronger worker safety measures, says that OSHA’s new weighting system for measuring enforcement inaccurately inflates inspection data by allowing the agency to count “quick” inspections and not resource-intensive investigations that might better protect workers.
November 15, 2026
Anthony Lacey
Anthony Lacey was the Managing Editor of Inside EPA and Environment Next until April 2021. He joined Inside Washington Publishers in 2004 as an associate editor on Clean Air Report, and previously covered a wide range of news for the regional Hull Daily Mail newspaper in his home country of England. He grew up in the northeast of England and earned a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of London, and a higher education certificate in newspaper writing from the NCFE awarding organization.
Archived Articles
Congress’ year-end budget deal gives OSHA just under $582 million in funding through the remainder of fiscal year 2020, a $24 million increase above both the FY19 enacted level and President Donald Trump’s budget request and the highest level ever for the agency, with the new funds largely allocated to enforcement and state plans.
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OSHA is updating its guidance on implementing a National Emphasis Program (NEP) priority focus on identifying and reducing amputation hazards in manufacturing industries, revising several instructions on inspection requirements, data reporting, and various other changes in a bid to better guard against such accidents occurring.
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Acting OSHA chief Loren Sweatt is touting the agency’s efforts to ramp up inspections while also pursuing “innovative” outreach efforts to employers to inform them about compliance with agency rules, saying that overall enforcement at the agency is “headed in the right direction.”
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A top OSHA official says companies’ efforts to exceed compliance with EPA regulations and pursue sustainability as a core business concept provide a model for how OSHA wants firms to “race to the top” on strengthening worker safety protections, asking an agency advisory panel for advice on how to improve safety and health management.
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The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) is proposing a rule that would require industrial facilities to quickly report to the CSB certain accidental chemical releases, a measure that when finalized could fill in gaps left by the Trump EPA’s rule rolling back the agency’s Risk Management Plan (RMP) program.
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Health and labor groups, along with two top Democrats, are raising concerns about OSHA’s plan to revise exposure standards for beryllium in the shipyard and construction sectors, and are urging changes to the plan to better protect workers’ health, highlighting a clash with industry groups who are threatening to sue OSHA if it finalizes the rule.
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New OSHA data shows a slight uptick in total inspections in fiscal year 2019, but a former top Obama official is faulting the agency for declining inspection levels compared to the end of the previous administration, saying that even though inspections rose to 33,401 compared to 32,023 in FY18, overall inspection levels have plunged during the Trump administration.
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Major industry organizations are renewing their concerns over OSHA’s proposal to revise the standards for occupational exposure to beryllium and beryllium compounds in the shipyard and construction sectors, with the groups warning that the plan might be unlawful -- a hint of possible legal challenges if OSHA finalizes the plan.
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OSHA has slowed plans to advance key rules it is developing, including measures addressing significant hazards for emergency response workers and a draft health care workplace violence standard, according to its fall update to its Unified Agenda, a move that is sparking criticism from safety advocates.
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