Out of balance: safety inspections vastly outnumber health inspections

FYI - Another "health" disadvantage: OSHA inspections used to count 1:1; therefore, the agency conducted more safety inspections to save time (22 hrs safety inspection vs 34 hrs. health inspection).

OSHA's 2014 FY budget propose 31,400 safety inspections vs 7,850 health inspections. OSHA is moving to a weighted inspection system that will allow for about 450 more health inspections and about two thousand fewer safety inspections in FY 2014.

The disparity is much better than past years but far from the balance that is needed.

Private industry safety and health inspections follow a similar pattern, but in addition to saving time, business saves cost from fewer IH lab analysis.

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Dan Markiewicz, MS, CIH, CSP, RMP, is an independent environmental health and safety consultant and a long-time columnist. He can be reached at (419) 356-3768 or by email at dan.markiewicz@gmail.com.