U.S.
OSHA Inspectors Are Key to Re-Opening. Their Ranks Are at a 45-Year Low
- OSHA staffing for virus outbreak questioned by pro-labor group
- Trump’s workplace safety operation criticized during outbreak
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As President Donald Trump pushes to restart the economy, the federal agency that’s supposed to protect employees from workplace hazards has been operating with historically low staffing.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration had only 862 inspectors at the start of the year, the smallest number since 1975, according to a report by the pro-labor, nonprofit National Employment Law Project. The total was down from 952 in 2016 and a historic high of 1,469 in 1980.