Safety Agency’s Severe Violator Inspections Down Under Trump

Federal safety inspections involving OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program have declined under the Trump administration, a Bloomberg Law analysis of enforcement records shows.

SVEP-related inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are down 51 percent since fiscal year 2016, the last full year of the Obama administration.

“The sharp drop in SVEP cases is startling, and shows a clear weakening of federal OSHA’s enforcement activity in the last two years,” Eric Frumin, health and safety director for the union-affiliated Change to Win, told Bloomberg Law.

In fiscal 2018, OSHA conducted 48 inspections stemming from the severe violator program, down ...