DOL to Proceed Audit of OSHA’s Pandemic Response Into 2022| Employees Compensation Information

Monday, May 3, 2021 | 0

The OSH’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be scrutinized by the Department of Labor’s Inspectorate-General, which found in a report released Thursday that more federal dollars will help keep the audit going through 2022.

The American Rescue Plan Act, which went into effect in March, provided the Inspectorate General with an additional $ 12.5 million to carry out additional pandemic-oriented oversight activities that will focus on OSHA activities.

The Inspector General’s OSHA audit, previously published in a separate report in February, found that “increased complaints, reduced inspections and the level of remote inspections carried out put the country’s workforce at greater security risk.”

The report also found that OSHA has not issued an enforceable temporary emergency standard – a move that is believed to be imminent as OSHA is now awaiting approval of a final draft COVID-19 safety standard – “which may be the Workforce health and safety has been better protected during the pandemic. “This review also highlighted concerns about the protection of whistleblowers.

“As a result of our review, OSHA is improving its inspection strategy by prioritizing high-risk employers for COVID-19-related on-site inspections and conducting further analysis to determine if a temporary standard for infectious disease-specific emergencies is needed to help Control the spread of COVID-19, ”the latest report said, highlighting possible priorities for future stages of the review.

By October 2022, the Inspector General’s office is said to have been investigating the oversight of high-risk industries and corrective actions taken in response to the initial report on OSHA’s handling of whistleblower complaints. Other priorities include the effectiveness of OSHA’s National Priority Program for COVID-19 and the impact of complaints and referrals on OSHA’s business, as well as the appropriateness and timeliness of mitigation measures taken by employers, the report said.

Business Insurance is a sister publication of WorkCompCentral. More stories are here.