What Kinds of Injuries Do OSHA Inspections Prevent?

Amelia Haviland, Rachel M. Burns, Wayne B. Gray, Teague Ruder, John Mendeloff

Published Sep 23, 2008

In order to better understand the process by which OSHA inspections may reduce injury rates, this study examines the types of workplace injuries and illnesses that decline after OSHA penalty inspections and after particular standards are cited. This study replicates an earlier study, but uses a different and more recent data set, inspections in Pennsylvania manufacturing firms from 1998 to 2005. The current study confirms the earlier findings that (a) OSHA inspections could affect injury types that were not directly related to its standards; and (b) among OSHA standards, personal protective equipment citations were most clearly linked to the prevention of injuries. These findings indicate that the organizational response to inspections has to be considered in assessing enforcement impacts. It also confirms that workers' use of personal protective equipment deserves a high priority from both private and public safety officials.

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Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2008
  • Pages: 29
  • Document Number: WR-593-PA

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Haviland, Amelia, Rachel M. Burns, Wayne B. Gray, Teague Ruder, and John Mendeloff, What Kinds of Injuries Do OSHA Inspections Prevent? RAND Corporation, WR-593-PA, 2008. As of October 10, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR593.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Haviland, Amelia, Rachel M. Burns, Wayne B. Gray, Teague Ruder, and John Mendeloff, What Kinds of Injuries Do OSHA Inspections Prevent? Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2008. https://www.rand.org/pubs/working_papers/WR593.html.
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The research in this report was prepared for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and conducted by the RAND Center for Safety and Health in the Workplace.

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