Under the Trump administration, the number of federal workplace safety inspectors has sharply declined.
Since President Donald Trump took office, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lost 40 inspectors through attrition and as of October 2, has not hired new inspectors to fill the vacancies, according to data obtained by NBC News.
According the the findings of NBC, the departing inspectors made up 4 percent of the OSHA’s total federal inspection force, which fell below 1,000 by early October.
David Michaels, who led OSHA during the Obama administration says reduced staff has made it even harder for OSHA to do its job properly.
“It means there’s greater pressure to quickly reach a settlement with the employer, which often means reduced fines,” Michaels told NBC News. “The lack of new inspectors makes OSHA invisible. If employers don’t think OSHA will come, workers are much more likely to be hurt.”
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