OSHA has announced that President Bush requested $490.3 million to be budgeted for the Agency in fiscal year (FY) 2008. The request represents an increase of nearly $18 million over the FY 2007 continuing resolution level and includes increases for federal enforcement and federal compliance assistance.

OSHA is hoping the increase will help the Agency improve workplace safety and health through compliance assistance and enforcement of occupational safety and health regulations and standards. Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin Foulke Jr. proposed to increase OSHA's budget for Voluntary Protection Programs by more than $4.6 million.

Since 2001, OSHA has implemented an approach consisting of aggressive enforcement, cooperative programs, outreach, education, and compliance assistance, which has yielded a 19 percent reduction in occupational illness and injury rates. During this same period, according to OSHA, the overall fatality rate has declined by 7 percent and it has fallen by 18 percent among Hispanic employees.

More than $17 million will go to increasing resources allocated to the federal enforcement, federal compliance assistance, and cooperative programs. OSHA has planned 37,700 workplace inspections throughout the year and will continue to focus its resources on workplaces and industries with high rates of injuries and illnesses. The Enhanced Enforcement Program focuses on employers that ignore their safety and health obligations while the Agency's Local and National Emphasis Programs focus on specific industries or safety and health issues.

For more information, see OSHA's FY 2008 budget breakdown chart.