Why It Matters
West Virginia relies entirely on federal workplace safety enforcement, yet just six inspectors oversee more than 695,000 workers across approximately 60,000 facilities statewide. At current staffing levels, it would take 186 years to inspect every workplace once, according to the AFL-CIO’s annual workplace safety report. The gap leaves thousands of employees at chemical plants, manufacturing facilities, and other hazardous operations without regular oversight.
A fatal chemical reaction at Ames Goldsmith Catalyst Refiners near Charleston last month killed two workers. Federal records show the facility was cited for safety violations in 2018 but had not been inspected again before the deaths.
What Happened
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducts workplace inspections without advance notice. When violations are found, the agency issues citations ranging from willful to serious to repeated offenses. Employers may contest those findings.
Federal officials conducted over 300 inspections across West Virginia last year. But the state does not operate its own OSHA-approved program, leaving enforcement solely to federal inspectors. Most private workplaces are not subject to mandatory inspection schedules under federal law. Instead, inspections are typically triggered by worker complaints, serious injuries, or targeted sweeps of high-risk industries.
Coal mining is an exception. Mines face mandatory federal inspections multiple times annually under separate mine safety legislation. Other facilities handling hazardous chemicals or heavy machinery may go years without inspection unless an incident or complaint prompts a visit.
By the Numbers
West Virginia employed 10 OSHA inspectors in 2011. That number has dropped to six today. The state workforce includes roughly 695,000 employees spread across 60,000 workplaces. Federal officials completed more than 300 inspections statewide last year. The U.S. Department of Labor has requested budget cuts that would eliminate dozens of full-time positions at OSHA and reduce funding by millions of dollars.
Zoom Out
Budget proposals in recent years have targeted agencies responsible for workplace safety research and enforcement. Last year, the administration proposed eliminating more than 90 percent of the workforce at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which studies workplace hazards. The layoffs were later reversed, but labor organizations said the disruption interrupted ongoing research.
Nina Mast, policy analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, said reduced staffing has limited the agency’s ability to conduct proactive enforcement. Much of OSHA’s inspection activity now depends on worker complaints rather than planned site visits, she said.
Josh Sword, president of the West Virginia AFL-CIO, called the situation a capacity problem. Fewer inspectors than ever are responsible for workplace safety across the agency, making job sites less safe, he said.
What’s Next
After a 2008 explosion at a pesticide plant killed two workers and a 2010 chemical leak killed another, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board recommended that West Virginia create a state-level chemical safety program. The proposal would have required companies to submit safety plans for government audit and public review. State officials never funded or implemented the program.
Labor advocates are calling for increased federal funding and staffing to restore regular inspection capacity. Without additional resources, current enforcement will remain complaint-driven rather than preventative, according to policy analysts.