14 Mar 2022
OSHA will have less resources per worker under new budget, says National COSH
Budget cuts will hurt workers’ rights to occupational health and safety
BOSTON -- Co-executive director Marcy Goldstein-Gelb of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) criticized Congress’ passing of the budget which will reduce OSHA resources. OSHA is set to receive $612 million in FY’22 - a very small increase from the prior year with greatly increased need.
“It is disappointing that instead of learning lessons from the pandemic about the consequences of unsafe working conditions, Congress has essentially slashed funding for the one agency set up to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for workers. Much work remains to be done to educate employers on best practices for their workers, especially while still in the midst of a pandemic among the many other issues that workers face. Under President Trump, the OSHA budget was $3.97 to protect each worker. It is astonishing to us that under a Democratic majority Congress, the OSHA budget when accounting for inflation will be less per worker.”
*****
National COSH links the efforts of local worker health and safety coalitions in communities across the United States, advocating for elimination of preventable hazards in the workplace. For more information, please visit nationalcosh.org. Follow us at National Council for Occupational Safety and Health on Facebook, @NationalCOSH on Twitter and @NationalCOSH on Instagram.