Analysis of OSHA Inspection Data with Exposure Monitoring and Medical Surveillance Violations

Abstract

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection data from the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) enforcement data base are presented for lead, ethylene oxide, and formaldehyde for fiscal years 1985, 1987, and 1989, and are discussed with emphasis on exposure monitoring or medical surveillance section violations. These data suggest that the exposure monitoring section of these standards is more commonly used to cite workplaces below these standards than is the medical surveillance section. Medical surveillance violations more commonly resulted in fines, but there were no differences in the magnitude of the fines for exposure monitoring or for medical surveillance violations. Implications of these findings are discussed.