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US Department of Labor

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

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Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Enforcement

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is authorized by the Occupational Safety Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) to assure employers provide safe and healthful conditions for working men and women free of recognized hazards and by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, education, and technical assistance. OSHA also establishes cooperative programs to partner and work collaboratively with employers, employees, and other stakeholders. OSHA balances enforcement and cooperative programs to reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.

OSHA INSPECTION ACTIVITY

In FY 2024, OSHA conducted 34,625 inspections comprising 17,455 unprogrammed and 17,170 programmed inspections.  Unprogrammed inspections include those initiated by employee complaints, injuries/fatalities, and referrals. Programmed inspections are those initiated by emphasis programs to OSHA’s enforcement resources on industries and operations where known hazards exist (e.g., heat, respirable silica, combustible dusts, chemical processing, ship-breaking, and falls in construction).

OSHA Inspection Statistics
OSHA Inspection Statistics FY 2019 FY 2020* FY 2021* FY 2022 FY 2023 FY 2024
Total Inspections 33,393 21,710 24,333 31,820 34,221 34,625
Total Programmed Inspections 14,900 8,729 10,584 14,081 15,844 17,170
Total Unprogrammed Inspections 18,493 12,981 13,749 17,739 18,377 17,455
~ Fatality/Catastrophe Inspections 919 1,498 1,386 1,119 952 863
~ Complaints Inspection 7,391 4,592 4,955 6,789 8,221 7,509
~ Referrals 6,718 4,810 5,310 6,091 6,419 6,340
~ Other Unprogrammed Inspections 3,465 2,081 2,098 3,740 2,785 2,743
*This period represents the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In FY 2025, the Enforcement Impact Index (EII) replaced the OSHA Weighting System (OWS).  The EII applies weighting based on three criteria: the use of significant enforcement resources, targeting specific hazards from emphasis programs, and addressing agency priority goals. These inspections often involve complex enforcement actions, such as addressing health hazards, process safety, and high-risk industries. With EII, the agency can use the impact criteria to evaluate how inspections align with its broader safety, health and enforcement objectives.

OSHA Weighting System summary
OSHA EII Value Summary FY2022 FY2023 FY2024
Programmed Unprogrammed Programmed Unprogrammed Programmed Unprogrammed
Base Value 26,466 40,979 30,238 42,220 33,030 40,739
Dynamic Value 1,344 6,202 2,619 7,068 7,743 9,322
Investigation Value* -- 3,165 -- 3,333 -- 3,295
Final EII Value 27,810 50,346 32,857 52,621 40,773 50,061

For additional information on OSHA inspections and services please refer to the OSHA Inspection Fact Sheet for information on OSHA inspections, OSHA's Compliance Assistance Specialists and their services, and OSHA's free on-site assistance for small employers.

For information on employee rights, see the OSHA Worker webpage.

For information on employer responsibilities and other compliance assistance resources see the OSHA Help for Employers webpage.