Agency has fewer inspectors, many more workplaces to inspect than three decades ago
OSHA had fewer health and safety inspectors in 2011 than in 1981 – the first year of the Reagan administration -- even though the number of workplaces doubled to 9 million from 4.5 million, and the number of workers rose from 73.4 million to 129.4 million.
An analysis by the Center for Effective Government on the budget levels for OSHA and other federal regulatory agencies finds that after adjusting for inflation, OSHA will receive less funding than it did during the George W. Bush administration – even if the president receives all the funding requested in his budget, which is unlikely, given previous Congressional budget action.