OSHA posts FY 2016 Enforcement Statistics
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 | 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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