Increased OSHA Budget Proposed by Senate

OSHA Fall-Protection Budget

Fiscal year 2023 is likely to see an increase in federal funding for OSHA. The new budget will, in all probability, land somewhere between $679 and $712 million — at least a $68 million increase from 2022’s budget of $611 million.

This money will be used in a number of ways, including the hiring of as many as 500 new employees — 179 of which are likely to be inspectors.

This is good news, from a safety perspective: the increased budget and enforcement of OSHA compliance regulations will lead to safer work environments and fewer jobsite injuries. This also means, however, that companies need to remain vigilant about their safety planning. The added number of inspectors will of course lead to increased jobsite inspections; thus, companies need to be proactive as opposed to reactive.

Because improper fall-protection safety standards is OSHA’s number one violation for seven consecutive years, it’s reasonable to assume that this citation will be at the top of these new inspectors’ minds. Don’t wait for a fee from OSHA to institute a rooftop safety plan. Contact Safety Rail Company today to see how we can craft a site-specific solution for your facility — and help you avoid those non-compliance costs!

Passive Fall Protection

Also, do your research to learn why passive fall protection has far fewer OSHA-compliance concerns than its active fall-protection counterpart. Among the many benefits of a guardrail-based system is its simplicity: simply install it and leave it. With harness-based systems, the user must constantly be interacting with the equipment: from training and maintenance to inspections and replacement. This is to say nothing of the compliance concerns: with safety rails, you know you’re fully in compliance at all times. With harnesses, compliance depends upon the organization and the user properly using the equipment (which requires costly training and ongoing education).

Rooftop guardrails provide the most universal, safest solution for rooftop fall hazards.

Sources can be found here and here.