Walter Chun

Osha's Oversight of State Plans Walter Chun

This book publishes the author's 1999 Doctorate thesis regarding OSHA and the State plans. The OSHAct of 1970 is the worker protection safety and health act that encourages the States to develop and enforce their own worker protection laws. The States must be "as effective as" the OSHA administration and enforcement program. The Act required that States develop their own experimental and demonstrative programs to protect workers. However, the OSHA interpretation of "as effective as" means that the States must "do the same as" OSHA. In 2015 OSHA penalties increased and the States were required to adopt the same. The penalty increase resulted in higher performance measures or quotas used to compare the States with OSHA. This means compliance officers focus on keeping the penalties in accordance with national statistics. Efforts to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards are diminished with the higher penalties and unfair processes.