Kevin Beswick, President and Owner of RMS Safety
I wrote a post recently that recapped OSHA’s activity in 2024. and it seemed to be well received. Because of that, I thought a follow-up article might be appropriate that explains what to expect from OSHA under President Donald Trump over the next four years. However, before I begin, I want to make it very clear that nothing in this post is meant to support either party. Everything stated is simply an observation of historical trends and statements.
- Limiting & Reversing Regulatory Change
- When President Trump took office the first time he signed an executive order that would require agencies to revoke two regulations for every new rule they want to issue. This clearly shows that he is in favor of less regulatory change, which coincides with the Republican principle of limiting government involvement. Therefore, the amount of new regulations issued over the next four years will likely be limited.
- There is a reasonable possibility that President Trump reverses some of the newer regulations that were initiated under the Biden Administration. The first to go is likely the newly proposed Heat Stress Standard, which has been publicly criticized by multiple elected Republican officials. Another might be the “Walkaround Rule” that allows union representatives to participate in OSHA inspections conducted at non-union worksites (when requested by a non-union employee).
- Fewer OSHA Inspectors
- The previous Trump Administration maintained a fairly flat budget for OSHA, which led to a reduction of staff as inflation occurred. For reference, there were 952 OSHA compliance officers before President Trump took office in 2016, and only 790 when he left office in 2020. Since then, President Biden has increased OSHA’s budget every year and the headcount has followed. Most analysts feel their budget is likely to be trimmed by the new administration.
- Less & Slower Inspections
- Fewer compliance officers means fewer inspections conducted. There were 21,674 inspections conducted in 2020 compared to 31,221 conducted in 2023. When the budget is reduced, the amount of inspections will be as well. Another side effect of a reduced budget is a slower inspection process as compliance officers are forced to handle more inspections.
- Focus on Partnerships vs. Enforcement
- A common trend that has been noticed throughout many administrative changes is that Republicans tend to focus on building relationships with companies and encouraging them to establish a strong safety program, while Democrats lean toward heavy enforcement to deter company’s from being unsafe. So, we will likely see a heavier push for employers to enroll in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).
- Other Potential Changes
- The Biden Administration focused heavily on advancing OSHA’s “Whistleblower” program, which protects employees from retaliation after reporting a hazard. However, when President Trump was previously in-office he redacted a directive issued by the Obama Administration that attempted to limit this retaliation. Because of this, many expect the new administration to not allocate as much time or resources to the program.
- According to USA Today, “Project 2025” was created by the Heritage Foundation and dozens of conservative groups, but President Trump was not involved with it’s creation and has said he disagrees with elements of it. However, many of the people who created it worked in the previous Trump Administration. Since those people may share several of his philosophies and he said he disagrees with “elements of it”, it leaves the door cracked for him supporting some of the initiatives listed within the document. One of those initiatives proposes to limit OSHA penalties for small businesses who are first time offenders unless violations are egregious or willful.
