Inspectors Hit 45-Year Low at Agency Key to Reopening Workplaces

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.

“They cannot return people to work until they protect workers on the job, and they can’t protect workers on the job with voluntary guidelines,” ...