Government Shutdown 2013: The Fate Of OSHA Operations

Posted by Heidi Schwartz

Over the years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been aggressive in dealing with workplace safety matters. This most recent government shutdown could have a significant impact on many aspects of the government, but the disruption of OSHA investigations may have the greatest direct consequences for facility management professionals.

In terms of adding to the U.S. economy, OSHA’s contributions in the form of fines have been steadily increasing. The Compliance and Safety website has a chart that takes a detailed look at the fines that have been imposed by OSHA under numerous administrations.

Source: complianceandsafety.com

And while the current administration has increased the fine totals for OSHA, the Republican and Democrats have been relatively even in terms of budgets and fines over the past 25 years.

Source: complianceandsafety.com

What lies ahead for OSHA? It’s difficult to predict what the next few hours/days/weeks will hold for the agency.