Working Paper: NBER ID: w3233
Authors: Wayne B. Cray; Carol Adaire Jones
Abstract: We examine the impact of OSHA health inspections on compliance with agency regulations in the manufacturing sector, with a unique plant-level dataset of inspection and compliance behavior during 1972-1983, the first twelve years of OSHA enforcement operations. Two major findings are robust across the range of linear and count models estimated in the paper: (1) the number of citations and the number of violations of worker exposure restrictions decrease with additional health inspections in manufacturing plants; and (2) the first health inspection has the strongest impact. The results suggest that prior research focusing on the limited impact of OSHA safety regulations may under-estimate OSHA's total contribution to reducing workplace risks.
Keywords: OSHA; health inspections; manufacturing sector; compliance; occupational safety
JEL Codes: J28; J58; H83
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| frequency of inspections (L92) | number of violations (K42) |
| first health inspection (I19) | number of violations (K42) |
| first health inspection (I19) | heightened awareness and compliance among plant managers (Q52) |
| heightened awareness and compliance among plant managers (Q52) | number of violations (K42) |
| increase in compliance with OSHA health standards (J28) | decline in the future incidence of occupational diseases (J28) |