Commonly Used Statistics

OSHA coverage

OSHA is a small agency; with our state partners we have approximately 2,200 inspectors responsible for the health and safety of 130 million workers, employed at more than 8 million worksites around the nation – which translates to about one compliance officer for every 59,000 workers.

OSHA has 10 regional offices and 90 local area offices.

OSHA budget

FY 2011: $573,096,000

FY 2012: $583,386,000

OSHA inspections

FY 2011Total Federal inspections: 40,215
FY 2011 Total 18(b) State Plan inspections: 52,056
[source: OSHA Directorate of Enforcement Programs]

FY 2011Total Federal whistleblower inspections: 1,900
FY 2011 Total 18(b) State Plan whistleblower inspections: 813

Worker Injuries, illnesses and fatalities

4,547 workers were killed on the job in 2010 [BLS 2010 preliminary workplace fatality data] (3.5 per 100,000 full–time equivalent workers) – more than 87 a week or more than 12 deaths every day. (This is a slight decline from the 4,551, fatal work injuries in 2009)

682 Hispanic or Latino workers were killed from work–related injuries in 2010 – more than 13 deaths a week

"Every day in America, 12 people go to work and never come home. Every year in America, 3.3 million people suffer a workplace injury from which they may never recover. These are preventable tragedies that disable our workers, devastate our families, and damage our economy."
– Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, April 28, 2011 blog

"A March 2010 Liberty Mutual Insurance company report showed that the most disabling injuries (those involving six or more days away from work) cost American employers more than $53 billion a year – over $1 billion a week - in workers' compensation costs alone."
– OSHA Assistant Secretary David Michaels, April 14, 2011
Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations

Construction's "Fatal Four"

Out of 4,070 worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2010, one-fifth (751 or 18.5%) were in construction.* The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were: falls, electrocution, struck by object, and caught–in/between. These "Fatal Four" were responsible for nearly three out of five (57%) construction worker deaths in 2010*, BLS reports. Eliminating the Fatal Four would save 431 workers' lives in America every year.

  • Falls – 260 out of 751 total deaths in construction in CY 2010 (35%)
  • Electrocutions – 76 (10%)
  • Struck by Object – 63 (8%)
  • Caught-in/between – 32 (4%)

Top 10 most frequently cited OSHA standards violated in FY 2011 (Federal OSHA data)

  1. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451)
  2. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501)
  3. Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200)
  4. Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134)
  5. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147)
  6. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305)
  7. Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178)
  8. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053)
  9. Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303)
  10. Machines, general requirements, general industry (machine guarding) (29 CFR 1910.212)

Outreach and Compliance Assistance: FY 2011

OSHA provided assistance to more than 200,000 individuals by phone (our 1-800 number) and e-mail – including more than 9,200 callers who selected the Spanish-language option, nearly 43,000 callers who selected the option to file a complaint about a workplace hazard, and more than 32,000 inquiries made through the OSHA e-correspondence system.

OSHA's On-site Consultation Program conducted nearly 30,000 on-site visits to small business worksites covering more than 1.3 million workers across the nation.

OSHA approved 101 new VPP sites and reapproved 291 sites

OSHA at 40

  • In four decades, OSHA has made a dramatic difference in workplace safety. Since 1970, workplace fatalities have been reduced by more than 65 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 67 percent. At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled.
  • Worker deaths in America are down - from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 12 a day in 2010.
  • Worker injuries and illnesses are down - from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to fewer than 4 per 100 in 2010.


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