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The Effect of Workplace Inspections on Worker Safety

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  • Ling Li
  • Perry Singleton

Abstract

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces safety regulations through workplace inspections. The authors estimate the effect of inspections on worker safety by exploiting a feature of OSHA’s Site-Specific Targeting plan. The program targeted establishments for inspection if their baseline case rate exceeded a cutoff. This approach generated a discontinuous increase in inspections, which the authors exploit for identification. Using the fuzzy regression discontinuity model, they find that inspections decrease the rate of cases that involve days away from work, job restrictions, and job transfers in the calendar year immediately after the inspection cycle. They find no effect for other case rates or in subsequent years. Effects are most evident in manufacturing and less evident in health services, the largest two-digit industries represented in the data.

Suggested Citation

  • Ling Li & Perry Singleton, 2019. "The Effect of Workplace Inspections on Worker Safety," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 718-748, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ilrrev:v:72:y:2019:i:3:p:718-748
    DOI: 10.1177/0019793918801575
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    Cited by:

    1. Islam, Asad & Lee, Wang-Sheng & Triyana, Margaret & Xia, Xing, 2023. "Improving Health and Safety in the Informal Sector: Evidence from a Randomized Trial in Bangladesh," IZA Discussion Papers 16150, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Ling Li & Shawn Rohlin & Perry Singleton, 2017. "Labor Unions and Occupational Safety: Event-Study Analysis Using Union Elections," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 205, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    3. Amin, Md Ruhul & Kim, Incheol & Lee, Suin, 2021. "Local religiosity, workplace safety, and firm value," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    4. Kerwin Kofi Charles & Matthew S. Johnson & Melvin Stephens & Do Q. Lee, 2022. "Demand Conditions and Worker Safety: Evidence from Price Shocks in Mining," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 40(1), pages 47-94.
    5. Perry Singleton, 2021. "Behavioral Bias in Occupational Fatality Risk: Theory, Evidence, and Implications," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 242, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.
    6. Karolien van Nunen & Genserik Reniers & Koen Ponnet, 2022. "Measuring Safety Culture Using an Integrative Approach: The Development of a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework and an Applied Safety Culture Assessment Instrument," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-39, October.
    7. Fan, Di & Yeung, Andy C.L. & Yiu, Daphne W. & Lo, Chris K.Y., 2022. "Safety regulation enforcement and production safety: The role of penalties and voluntary safety management systems," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 248(C).
    8. Lai, Tat-kei & Lu, Yi & Ng, Travis, 2022. "Import Competition and Workplace Safety in the U.S. Manufacturing Sector," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 24-42.
    9. Ling Li & Shawn Rohlin & Perry Singleton, 2022. "Labor Unions and Workplace Safety," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(2), pages 402-426, March.
    10. Amanda M. Grittner & Matthew S. Johnson, 2021. "When Labor Enforcement and Immigration Enforcement Collide: Deterring Worker Complaints Worsens Workplace Safety," Upjohn Working Papers 21-353, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.
    11. Anja Bondebjerg & Trine Filges & Jan Hyld Pejtersen & Malene Wallach Kildemoes & Hermann Burr & Peter Hasle & Emile Tompa & Elizabeth Bengtsen, 2023. "Occupational health and safety regulatory interventions to improve the work environment: An evidence and gap map of effectiveness studies," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), December.
    12. Matthew S. Johnson & David I. Levine & Michael W. Toffel, 2023. "Improving Regulatory Effectiveness through Better Targeting: Evidence from OSHA," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 15(4), pages 30-67, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    OSHA; worker safety; workplace inspections; regression discontinuity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • K32 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Energy, Environmental, Health, and Safety Law

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