In the article I wrote where I tried to answer the 9 questions posed in the OSHA Listens Event, there were a few comments posted that I think spark some interesting conversation.  Here are the comments…

“Like the rest of our current government, OSHA has been taken over by an academic elitist who, unlike real world practitioners cannot relate to everyday challenges to overcome resistance to working safely. Excess Fines are a testimonial to two things – the current effort at redistributing wealth (socialism) and the failure of OSHA to work effectively with safety professionals in the field in an effective collaborative manner.
Why should government work hard at anything when you can simply penalize people into submission – just tell everyone it for their own good and they will certainly all believe it. OSHA is now just another repressive arm of the government takeover of the economy – currently at 51% and growing. Safety – yeh , right.”

“Good ideas. But do you really think that a government agency will implement anything that makes sense?  OSHA will take decades to change.  Now they just make a lot of noise and beat their chest about all the fines and violations they have issued. And make threats.”

I think these comments bring up two very important points.

1. OSHA will always be viewed in the context of the current political climate (which makes a lot of sense because the current administration appoints several key individuals within OSHA).
2. OSHA has an image problem.

The first point is very eloquently explained by David Weil in an essay he wrote called “OSHA: Beyond the Politics”.  Here is his explanation.

“From its inception in 1971, few government agencies have been as maligned as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Critics on the political right have regarded it as the embodiment of onerous government, the promulgator and enforcer of expensive and ineffective standards, an agency with a deep reach that mercilessly wields a penalty bludgeon needlessly sending many small businesses to bankruptcy court. At the same time, critics on the political left have often chastised OSHA for failing to fulfill its mission. They argue that the agency is stymied by too few inspectors and too small a budget to carry the weight of its legislative mandate: “[to] assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions.” They claim that OSHA is either the victim of Democratic administrations too timid, or Republican administrations too ideologically opposed, to exercise its authority to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities.”

The second point I think is exacerbated through politics.  However, it can be addressed through action.  Maybe those actions will not always be viewed favorably, but for there to be the impression that OSHA “ just makes a lot of noise and beat their chest about all the fines and violations they have issued. And make threats” as the commenter stated does not bode well for workplace safety.

So, do we need OSHA?

Many EHS Professionals deal with issues relating to management commitment.  As you all know with the tough economic conditions we have experienced, many companies have made tough choices with expenditures and staffing and the Environmental, Health, and Safety budgets were not immune to cuts.  I am not implying that throwing money at workplace safety will solve all problems, but many times in business you can tell a company’s commitment to safety by looking at the capital and expense spending budgets.   My point, unfortunately I do not believe we are to the point where workplace safety is viewed as a Value (as discussed in the video) in every company.  The actions of leaders in organizations when faced with looking at the bottom line do not reflect an “integration of safety into all we do” mentality.  Thus, as an EHS Professional working in industry I believe until safety is viewed as a Value and integrated into how companies operate, it is necessary to have a strong OSHA.

So how do we have a strong OSHA?

In Part 2 I will discuss the current political initiatives and the changes in leadership at OSHA with the additions of Dr. David Michaels (Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health) and Jordan Barab (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health).

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