OSHA Budget Flat

August 3, 2023

Senate being frugal with budget increases

  • A Senate committee has approved a bill that would keep worker safety agency budgets almost unchanged in fiscal year 2024.
  • The Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill would allocate $628.5 million for OSHA, a decrease of around $3.8 million from 2023.
  • The majority of the proposed cut is to the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, which would receive $10 million instead of approximately $12.8 million.
  • The House has proposed a 15.1% budget cut for OSHA, allocating $536.9 million for FY 2024, which begins Oct. 1.
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Worker killed in South Dakota

  • Quinton Kramer, 47, died after he was hit by the bucket of an excavator in Watertown, South Dakota.
  • He was working in a gravel pit at the time and medical professionals attempted life-saving measures at the scene.
  • Kramer was taken to Prairie Lakes Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
  • OSHA has opened an investigation.
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Massachusettes workers injured after scaffold collapses

  • Four men were injured after they fell 22 feet from scaffolding while working on a house in Milford, Massachusettes.
  • Three men were taken to UMass-Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with serious injuries, while the fourth was taken to Milford Regional Medical Center with less serious injuries.
  • The men were part of a construction crew building a new house.
  • They were on a scaffolding in the rear of the house when the incident occurred.
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Heatwaves costly for employers

  • Repeated heat waves like the one America is suffering from could cost the economy more than $100 billion annually.
  • A Texas congressman has gone without food and water on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to highlight the need for federal safety standards for those working in extreme heat conditions.
  • OSHA is being urged by federal lawmakers to take more action to prevent heat-related issues at the workplace.
  • Nearly a quarter of frontline employers are experiencing turnover of more than 30% turnover, while 60% reported a turnover rate of more than 10%.
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