Maintenance and engineering managers face constant pressures to ensure the safety of their technicians, as well as that of visitors and occupants of the facilities they oversee. While safety challenges remain a high priority in many organizations, the same might not be true for the federal agency responsible for workplace safety.
New data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suggests a substantial drop in inspections in the months after President Trump returned to office last year, according to The New York Times. The data shows a 20 percent decrease in work site inspections by OSHA during a six-month period last year compared with the same period in 2024.
The decrease during the six-month period raises the specter that the Trump administration is relaxing oversight of companies and increasing the potential for serious injuries and deaths.
The drop in inspections comes on top of efforts by the administration to roll back regulations for worker safety and protections, including efforts to close OSHA offices and offices that protect coal miners across the country. The U.S. Department of Labor has also said it plans to pull back a requirement that employers provide appropriate lighting at construction sites and ease evaluation mandates for protective equipment for workers regularly exposed to dangerous chemicals.
Dan Hounsell is senior editor for the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience writing about facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
