Where OSHA did perform inspections, it issued 295 violations from 176 COVID-relate inspections, while state plans found 1,678 violations from 756 COVID-related inspections. (Credit: artfotoss/iStockphoto.com)
Between February 1 and October 26, 2020, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) conducted 50% fewer workplace inspections compared with the same period the year prior. Meanwhile, the administration saw a 15% increase in complaints, according to a report by the Labor Department's Office of Inspector General (OIG).
These two factors, combined with more reliance on less thorough remote inspections, subjected employees to greater safety risks, OIG reported. Further, OSHA did not track whether inspections were performed onsite or remote. The inspector general noted it is important to track remote inspections to "determine their frequency and timeliness for identifying and ensuring abatement of worksite hazards."
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
Steve Hallo
Steve Hallo is managing editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. He can be reached at [email protected]
