The role of inspection sequence in compliance with the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) standards: Interpretations and implications

TLDR

The study examined how repeated OSHA inspections and the interval between them affect non‑compliance in US manufacturing plants. The analysis used 549,398 OSHA inspections from 1972–2006 across 29 states, controlling for inspection type, industry, plant size, and year. Violations dropped 28–48% after the first inspection and then declined more slowly, with only a modest 15% rise over five years between inspections; the authors recommend prioritizing first‑time inspections and extending the required two‑year gap.

Abstract

Abstract We examined the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) inspections in the US to identify the effects of repeated inspections and the time between inspections on non‐compliance. Our sample included 549,398 inspections conducted from 1972 through 2006 in manufacturing plants in the 29 states where federal OSHA enforces the law. We controlled for inspection type, industry, establishment size, and year. The number of total violations cited fell by 28%–48% from the first to the second inspection; after that, the numbers declined much more slowly. These effects were found in every one of the four sub‐periods examined. The number of violations cited increased with each additional year since the prior inspection after controlling for other variables; however, the increases were small, totaling approximately 15% over five years. OSHA should probably give higher priority to first time inspections than to repeated inspections. The current requirement that at least two years elapse between planned inspections should probably be lengthened.