The online publication FairWarning has this story today about OSHA enforcement since January 20:
In November, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced fines against businesses with workers who were killed when they were pulled into a wood chipper, burned in a refinery fire and crushed in collapsing grain bins and construction trenches. In all, OSHA issued 33 enforcement news releases that month, and over 50 more from Dec. 1 until just before Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.
But since then, OSHA hasn’t issued a single news release about penalties or other enforcement actions by federal authorities. The same goes for a second Department of Labor division, Wage and Hour, which in previous weeks had announced the recovery of back wages for peanut processors in Georgia, hotel staffers in New York City, commercial painters in Texas and cafeteria workers at the U.S. Senate building.
Neither OSHA nor Wage and Hour officials have responded to requests for comment on why they have gone silent on enforcement news for six weeks. At issue is more than basic public relations. The Labor Department for years has used news releases to single out bad actors and to deter violations by other employers who fear that they could face penalties and damaging publicity too.
The full story is here.
