Limited OSHA Virus Inspections Spur Push to Regain ‘Trust’ (1)

In the Covid-19 pandemic’s first 12 months, only about 10% of federal workplace safety inspections were virus-related, and the likelihood of an employer being cited was well below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s typical rate for health-related reviews.

From the earliest days of the public health emergency last March through the end of February this year, OSHA had opened 1,771 virus-related inspections, out of a total of about 17,690 probes. The agency cited 370 employers for virus-related violations during that period, meaning an inspection resulted in a citation in only about 40% of those cases, agency numbers show. Historically, ...