Is OSHA's tide turning? Languishing worker safety programs get a monetary boost. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration budget for 1997)

Do you recall reading the news items that spoke of OSHA reform and just how long ago that has been? To refresh your memory, these articles date back to President Bush's administration. At that time, OSHA was completing its first 20 years of operation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act passed by Congress in 1970. In 1992, there was a change of presidents and a new administration. The new director of the Department of Labor, Robert Reich, outlined the Clinton administration's principles for OSHA reform as they expected to proceed with the effort under this new leadership. We reported on the Clinton administration's principles for OSHA reform in our November 1993 newsletter.

I shall not put you through a tedious review of all of the principles, since they have not yet been achieved in the context of legislative reform, adopted by Congress or approved by the president. There has been some influence on the administration of OSHA from the principles that were enumerated at the time. Most significantly, we perceive that there has been, and continues to be, an …