Washington – OSHA has removed nearly $11 million from its federal compliance assistance budget to counteract the effect of across-the-board cuts on federal enforcement activities.
The cuts, also known as the sequester, went into effect March 1 and impact every aspect of the agency. OSHA is losing $28.4 million from its original $563.7 million overall funding for fiscal year 2013, according to a Department of Labor document (.pdf file) received through a request to the agency.
The sequester would have reduced funding for federal enforcement activities to $196.9 million from $207.8 million, but OSHA’s adjustments actually increased funding to $207.9 million.
The agency’s funding for federal compliance assistance was cut to $61.5 million from $72.4 million. Prior to the sequester, the funding level was $76.4 million.
Other notable cuts caused by the sequester include state programs ($5.2 million), safety and health standards ($1 million), and whistleblower protections ($798,504).
