President Barack Obama has released his fiscal year 2015 budget proposal for the Department of Labor. Read a breakdown of OSHA’s proposed funding here.
| Proposed OSHA budget (amounts in millions) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | FY 2014* | Proposed FY 2015* |
| Total | $552.3 | $565 |
| Safety and health standards | $20 | $20.3 |
| Federal enforcement | $207.8 | $210.8 |
| Whistleblower programs | $17 | $21.3 |
| State programs | $100 | $104 |
| Technical support | $24.3 | $24.2 |
| Compliance assistance, federal | $69.4 | $70.4 |
| Compliance assistance, state consultations | $57.8 | $57.8 |
| Compliance assistance, training grants | $10.7 | $10.7 |
| Safety and health statistics | $34.3 | $34.5 |
| Executive direction | $11 | $11.1 |
*Dollar amounts in millions
Source: Department of Labor
It remains to be seen whether this budget will be put into law. In recent years, budget fights between Republicans and Democrats have resulted in OSHA’s budget flatlining and the entire government shutting down.
Given the political differences between the industry-friendly Republicans controlling the House and the labor-friendly Democrats controlling the Senate, I wouldn’t be surprised if OSHA’s final 2015 budget beefs up compliance assistance – potentially resulting in smaller-than-proposed increases for enforcement and whistleblower protection.
The opinions expressed in "On Safety" do not necessarily reflect those of the National Safety Council or affiliated local Chapters.
