Secretary Solis’ letter states that, although OSHA has added an additional 110 compliance officers, they cannot inspect all construction sites in the country.  OSHA would train the city’s building inspectors on the hazards associated with the four leading causes of worker deaths.  Those four are falls, electrocution, being crushed or caught between objects and being struck by machinery or objects. 

After the training, these local building inspectors would become additional eyes and ears of OSHA.  A section of the letter on enforcement stated, “…building inspectors will notify OSHA when they observe, during the course of their building inspection work, these unsafe work conditions.”   Would it not be better for the building inspector to point out the safety violation and correct at the time of the observance?  If necessary, they could then inform OSHA if the contractor continues to violate a good safety practice.  This continues the new direction of OSHA concentrating on enforcement as opposed to consultation and partnership.

It is also surprising that, out of the 11 letters, only 2 went to cities that are under OSHA-approved programs for public sector employees.  Is this just another way to increase OSHA influence in the public sector of those states that are not under OSHA programs? 

To read the letter and to see which Mayors received the letters, please click here.