There are some employers who haven't figured out that safety is cost-effective; there are some employers who need resources, help and technical support to resolve safety issues; and there are some employers who still think injuries and deaths are just part of being 'aggressive businesses'.

The notion that all these problems can be effectively addressed by "either/or" thinking simply doesn't make sense.

Currently I work for a small specialty commercial & institutional construction company that has grown to view safety as not just the right thing to do, but as a very valuable and profitability part of the organization.

In my career I have work in compliance, program development, assessment, training and management. My career has also cut across naval, fire, laboratory, industrial, chemical and construction safety.

In considering the current trends underway at OSHA, I also consider the three US Post Office Distribution Centers that were fined nearly one million dollars in the past week, with several willful citations. The Gulf Oil Rig explosion which now reveals weeks of bypassed safety equipment failures, and the priority of schedule and cost over the implementation of industry standard safety procedures. Las Vegas construction safety. Texas construction safety. New York construction safety. Trench safety anywhere in the country. Crane safety. Mining safety. The under-reporting of injuries by up to 80%.

While safety improvements in many companies greatly improved, the truth in most improvement has been at a snails pace and at the costs of far to many injuries and deaths than necessary.

In an industry such as construction, where most often it is the lowest bidder who gets the job, not the safest, or the one with the management skill set to get the job done safely, on time, on budget and profitably; it is likely that the next two years will present the greatest safety challenge to the average worker as the rule of the day will be to cut corners and just get the job done.

Or do we really need to look beyond the Louisiana Gulf Coast where in the end it maybe that time was money even on the ship with the best safety record ever, as corners were cut to save time and money.

So I understand those in the current administration who have taken a strong eye toward increased enforcement and heavier fines. I also believe that the other hand that will follow, will be one of increased training, collaboration, best practices benchmarking and an increased focus on accepted industry standards.

But if you look carefully you will see the current OSHA approach is to set the stage for a more respectful approach to safety in partnership with the both the true stakeholders to workplace safety, the employers and the employees.

OSHA's citations against the US Postal Service should serve notice to every employer, that every workplace is obligated to protect their workers from known or knowable hazards; and that is the moral, as well as, legal cost of doing business.

Until every workplace has gotten that message, the heavier hand of enforcement and, yes, targeted inspections will be the rule of the land.

It amazes me; even police departments do outreach and cooperative programs because they realize that it helps people to know the laws and to buy into compliance. Programs like D.A.R.E. and Crime Stoppers and others are part of that community outreach to help people get educated about the dangers. I often wonder what damage this will have on companies who have taken those extra steps to utilize the collaborative programs. Will the employees who made that commitment get the feeling that OSHA really doesn't care about their efforts anymore? I hate that the workplace has to become such a political mess when we are ultimately concerned with getting people home safely without injury and protecting the longevity of the company to keep workers employed. Granted there are some companies out there who have not got the message yet. I only hope that the companies who are investing in their people do not get bitten by the poisonous atmosphere that is being created.