With current funding and staffing, OSHA's assignment to "assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women" is humanly impossible. One of the most critical facts to know about OSHA is that the agency is equipped with less than 2,200 inspectors to cover more than seven million workplaces. Add this fact to the public's lack of awareness and support, throw in chronic Congressional and industry belittling, and the nation has a recipe for an ineffective OSHA.
In 1990, Congress increased the maximum penalties for OSHA violations to $7,000 for serious violations and to $70,000 for willful and repeat violations. Those intimidating figures, however, dissolve during settlement agreements and negotiations. Despite the $70,000 willful penalty allowed, for example, willfuls actually average less than half that - only about $23,000. Unclassifieds, presumably willfuls in sheep's clothing, come in at a shocking $8,900. Even worse, employers pay $650 for the average serious violation and only $2,900 for repeat violations.