Unions are upset about OSHA enforcement activity in 1995. AFL-CIO Safety and Health Director Peg Seminario fears inspectors have been pushed into partnership work with employers and away from enforcement responsibilities." This is a major problem, she says." According to tables prepared by the AFL-CIO, inspections are down across the board. Total inspections in 1995 dropped 31 percent; safety inspections were down 35 percent; health inspections dropped 20 percent. The analysis points out a marked decrease in the number of penalties issued too: OSHA issued 41 percent fewer serious violations, and 38 percent fewer violations overall.
The tables do not note that the agency more than doubled the number of egregious case fines it issued over the previous year, and issued 79 percent more fines of over $100,000 in 1995.