OSHA inspections increase in FY 2019

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration performed more inspections in fiscal year 2019 than in any year since 2015, the agency reported Tuesday.

In 2019, federal OSHA investigators conducted 33,401 inspections addressing violations relating to trenching, falls, chemical exposure, silica and other hazards, and provided nearly 1.4 million workers with training on safety and health requirements, said the agency in a statement.

OSHA’s education programs reached the largest number of workers in FY 2019 to date, said the agency. These include the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, Outreach Training Program and the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, as well as a free on-site consultation program that allowed the agency to identify nearly 140,000 workplace hazards and protect 3.2 million workers from potential harm, according to the statement.