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President's FY 2008 Budget
Request for OSHA Will Increase Federal Enforcement
Edwin G. Foulke Jr., assistant
secretary of labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), today announced that President Bush has requested $490.3
million for OSHA in fiscal year 2008. The request represents
an increase of nearly $18 million over the FY 2007 continuing
resolution level and includes increases for federal enforcement
and federal compliance assistance.
Foulke explained the increase
will help the agency improve workplace safety and health through
compliance assistance and enforcement of occupational safety
and health regulations and standards. “We are proposing
to increase resources supporting the Voluntary Protection Programs
(VPP) by more than $4.6 million,” Foulke said. “VPP
recognizes exemplary work sites for their enhanced safety and
health performance. This translates into substantial benefits
for both employers and employees, including significant reductions
in injury and illness rates which have proven to deliver millions
of dollars in cost savings for participants.”
Since 2001, OSHA has implemented
a balanced approach consisting of aggressive enforcement, cooperative
programs, outreach, education and compliance assistance which
has yielded a 19 percent reduction in occupational illness and
injury rates. During this same period, the overall fatality rate
has declined by 7 percent and it has fallen by 18 percent among
Hispanic employees.
More than $17 million will
go to increasing resources allocated to the federal enforcement,
federal compliance assistance and cooperative programs. OSHA
has planned 37,700 workplace inspections throughout the year
and will continue to focus its resources on workplaces and industries
with high rates of injuries and illnesses. The Enhanced Enforcement
Program focuses on employers who ignore their safety and health
obligations while the agency's Local and National Emphasis Programs
focus on specific industries or safety and health issues.
Under the Occupational Safety
and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing
a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role
is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and
women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training,
outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging
continual process improvement in workplace safety and health.
The president's FY 2008 proposed
budget will enable OSHA to continue making progress in its efforts
to keep driving workplace injuries, illnesses and loss of life
toward zero. Results indicate that OSHA's strategies are working.
Workplace injuries and illnesses have been on a downward trend
for the past 13 years. Between 1998 and 2005, the total injury
and illness case rate decreased by 31 percent. Further, at 4.0
per 100,000 employees, the U.S. on-the-job fatality rate for
2005 was among the lowest ever recorded.
During FY 2008, OSHA will
remain positioned to continue its focus on workplace safety and
health through an overall balanced approach that includes:
* strong, fair and effective
enforcement;
* outreach, education and compliance assistance, and
* cooperative and voluntary programs.
Proposed FY 2008 Budget (Dollars in
Millions)
|
|
FY 2007 |
FY 2008 |
Change |
|
Safety and Health Standards |
$16.5 |
$16.9 |
$0.4 |
|
Federal Enforcement |
172.6 |
183.0 |
10.4 |
|
State Programs |
91.1 |
91.1 |
- |
|
Technical Support |
21.4 |
22.1 |
0.7 |
|
Federal Compliance Assistance |
72.5 |
79.6 |
7.1 |
|
State Consultation Grants |
53.3 |
54.5 |
1.2 |
|
Training Grants |
2.6 |
0 |
(2.6) |
|
Safety and Health Statistics |
31.8 |
32.1 |
.3 |
|
Executive Direction and Administration |
10.6 |
11.0 |
0.4 |
|
Total, OSHA Budget Authority |
$472.4 |
$490.3 |
$17.9 |
|
Full Time Equivalents (includes 8 reimbursable FTE) |
2,133 |
2,186 |
53 |
Selected OSHA Workload Data
|
|
FY 2007 |
FY 2008 |
Change |
|
Notices of Proposed Rulemaking |
4 |
4 |
-- |
|
Final Rules |
3 |
3 |
-- |
|
Federal Inspections |
36,500 |
37,700 |
1,200 |
|
State Program Inspections |
54,500 |
52,000 |
-2,500 |
|
Total VPP Participants (Federal) |
1,313 |
1,589 |
276 |
|
Consultation Visits |
32,250 |
32,250 |
- |
|
Training Participants |
415,800 |
432,300 |
16,500 |
Source: OSHA News Release 2/5/07
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