What has OSHA Accomplished and What Does the Future Hold for the Agency?

What has OSHA Accomplished and What Does the Future Hold for the Agency?

Although OSHA has made an important historical contribution to reducing the toll of workplace injuries, the number and cost of these conditions are unacceptably high. Furthermore, the true incidence of occupational injuries and illnesses is probably far higher than the rates reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). OSHA enforcement does not appear to be effective in further reducing injury rates. While BLS reports a decrease in injury rates, sophisticated statistical analyses indicate that much of this decrease can be attributable to changes in OSHA recordkeeping rules. In terms of occupational illnesses, OSHA has been successful in reducing exposures to certain widely recognized chemical hazards, and as a result, has unquestionably saved thousand of lives. But OSHA currently enforces permissible exposure limits for only about 500 chemicals, a small fraction of the thousands of substances present in the American workplace, and is now unwilling or unable to issue new or improved standards for hundreds of toxic chemicals. OSHA, the White House and Congress must re-evaluate and restructure the system through which OSHA standards are promulgated and enforced, in order to renew the nation's commitment to providing workers safe workplaces.