OSHA In The Workplace

OSHA, then, is politically resilient -- it is not likely to disappear. But has it done much? The answer to this question is complex, and depends partly on how one measures the agency's success. Studies that attempt to measure the agency's impact at a macro level generally find that its impact on injury and illness rates has been limited -- and was stronger in earlier years of the agency's history than in more recent years. These studies, however, attempt to gauge the cumulative impact of OSHA across all industries and workplaces on all forms of workplace injuries and illnesses.

If one looks at OSHA's impact at a micro level -- that is, its impact on specific employers or workplaces over time -- one comes away with a more favorable impression of its effectiveness (or at least of its potential to improve workplace outcomes). Research shows that OSHA inspections and interventions can pack a significant punch in some situations -- particularly in those cases where its presence represents a "bolt from the blue" for employers that, prior to OSHA intervention, might not have paid much attention to safety and health issues. OSHA interventions, for example, are associated with large increases in compliance with key safety standards and significant reductions in injury rates in many manufacturing industries during the agency's first 15 years of …show more content…
Careful studies of the impact of inspections on large employers in sectors where OSHA has concentrated its efforts, such as specific manufacturing and construction industries, indicate that repeated OSHA inspections at the same job site have little impact on changing either compliance with standards or injury and illness rates. Thus, while "bolts from the blue" pack a significant punch, "rounding up the usual suspects" proves of limited