What's OSHA's next move?

Agency reveals 3 new targets

• Triple threat: Enforcement, standards, injury logs

Now that the new deputy sheriff has been in town for over three months, what' he targeting?
In a speech to the American Bar Association, 0 HA administrator David Michaels said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis' statement that there is a “new sheriff in town" wasn't just an abstract wish, Rather, it was a stern description of how OSHA is working.
Michaels, the aforementioned deputy, said Solis is pushing OSHA to be more aggressive.
Michaels didn't need much of a push. Even before taking over at OSHA, he'd been a vocal advocate of tougher enforcement and more regulation. Here are his top priorities:

Enforcing regulations
Despite calls for budget tightening within the federal government, OSHA
is set to get $7.7 million more a year starting in October for enforcement.
The agency will hire 25 more inspectors and move 35 employees from compliance assistance programs to enforcement.
Expect more of what OSHA has already been doing recently with enforcement: more record fines like the $84.7 million citation against BP Texas City, TX, and more violations classified as egregious, which allow OSHA to issue citations on a per-employee or per-instance basis.

Enacting more standards
In his speech, Michaels called the current system of enacting new OSHA standards "f1awed” and too slow.
However, he admits that, for now, the agency has to work within the current regulatory framework..
But that doesn't mean OSHA has limited its regulatory agenda. Among the issues it wants to tackle:
Several that have languished for years, including silica, beryllium, diacetyl, cranes and derricks, and incorporating a globally harmonized system for chemical labeling into its hazard communication standard Newer initiative such a infectious disease and combustible dust Updated permissible exposure limits (PELs) some of which haven't changed for 40 years, and Addition of a column to track ergonomic injuries to OSHA 300 log.

Reporting injuries
Michaels believes workplace injuries are seriously underreported.
Under OSHA's National Emphasis Program on record keeping, OSHA will visit companies in high-injury industries that have reported significantly fewer incidents to make Sure their injury records are accurate.

Reprinted with permission from
Safety Compliance Alert
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