Number of Federal Workplace Safety Inspectors Continues to Drop

The number of federal inspectors checking on the safety of workers continued a long-term decline in fiscal year 2018, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The agency ended fiscal 2018 with 753 inspectors, compared to 860 at end of fiscal 2014, the personnel data, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, show.

Richard Fairfax, who retired from OSHA in 2013 as the agency’s top career service official, told Bloomberg Law the declining ranks of inspectors—also known as compliance officers—means OSHA has fewer experienced personnel to conduct complicated inspections.

Data also show that OSHA is less likely to ...