OSHA posts FY 2016 Enforcement Statistics

Data show 60 percent of Agency inspections are unprogrammed

Posted May 22, 2017

OSHA posted its 2016 Enforcement Summary, which highlights the Agency’s inspection statistics. The data show that the number of programmed inspections continue to decline, while the percentage of unprogrammed inspections remains high.

OSHA says it is devoting most of its resources toward responding to injury-related activities as a result of the 2014 final rule requiring the reporting of fatalities and severe injuries to OSHA.

In fiscal year (FY) 2016, OSHA conducted 31,948 total inspections. Of these, 60 percent were unprogrammed inspections, which include the employer reports of severe injuries along with employee complaints, and referrals.

OSHA also conducted 12,731 programmed inspections. These inspections focus on industries and employers where known hazards exist (e.g., combustible dusts, chemical processing, hexavalent chromium, and shipbreaking).

FY 2016 penalty amounts

According to OSHA, the total initial penalty amount for FY 2016 was $218,155,805. However, the total adjusted penalty amount for FY 2016 was $162,872,470.

Enforcement Weighting System

In 2016, OSHA began using the Enforcement Weighting System, which changed the way it evaluated inspections. The new system assigns a value called an Enforcement Unit to specific categories of inspections and investigations. All inspections receive an Enforcement Unit value of at least one. The more time and effort that is needed, the more Enforcement Units are assigned to the investigation. Examples of more resource-intensive investigations include ergonomics, heat, chemical exposures, workplace violence, and process safety management.

FY 2016 OSHA Enforcement Statistics

OSHA inspection statistics	FY 2011	FY 2012	FY 2013	FY 2014	FY 2015	FY 2016
Total inspections	40,614	40,961	39,228	36,163ⁱ	35,820	31,948
Total programmed inspections	23,329	23,078	22,170	19,222	16,527	12,731
Total unprogrammed inspections	17,285	17,883	17,058	16,941	19,293	19,217
— Fatality/Catastrophe Inspections	851	900	826	850	912	890
— Complaints Inspection	8,765	9,573	9,505	9,570	9,037	8,870
— Referrals	4,776	4,864	4,024	3,829	4,705	4,641
— Referrals, Employer Reported	NA	NA	NA	NA	1,864	2,050

OSHA Inspection statistics	FY 2011	FY 2012	FY 2013	FY 2014	FY 2015	FY 2016
Total Violations	85,514	78,723	78,186	67,680^i, ii	64,763	58,702
Total Serious Violations	62,115	57,112	58,316	49,616	47,934	42,984
Total Willful Violations	594	423	319	439	527	524
Total Repeat Violations	3,229	3,034	3,139	2,966	3,088	3,146
Total Other-than-Serious	19,306	18,054	16,290	14,503	13,016	11,895

Enforcement Weighting values		OSHA Enforcement Weighting — FY 2016 Inspection Summary
Inspection Category Type	EU Value	Type of Inspection	Inspections	EUs
Federal Agency	2	Federal Agencies	657	1,314
Process Safety Management	7	Process Safety Management	234	1,638
Combustible Dust	2	Combustible Dust	491	982
5a1 Ergonomic	5	5a1 Ergonomic	69	345
5a1 Heat	4	5a1 Heat	187	748
5a1 Non-PEL Exposures	3	5a1 Non-PEL Exposures	20	6
5a1 Workplace Violence	3	5a1 Workplace Violence	49	147
Fatality/Catastrophe	3	Fatality/Catastrophe	866	2,598
Personal Sampling	2	Personal Sampling	1,582	3,164
SIG Case	8	Sig Case	131	1,048
Phone/Fax Complaints	1/9	Phone/Fax/Complaint	21,738	2,410
Rapid Response Investigations	1/9	Rapid Response Investigations	7,088	784
All Other Inspections	1	Non-Weighted Inspections	27,662	27,662

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