History of OSHA - Part 6 - The 1980s and Changes in OSHA Technology

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

In the 1980s, OSHA’s efficiency skyrocketed, largely due to innovations in information technology. These advancements paved the way for better management of area office activities and improved overall performance. The launch of the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) was a game-changer. It streamlined data entry, reduced errors, enhanced reporting capabilities, and allowed for seamless case tracking. By the end of the decade, State Plan States and consultation activities had access to the IMIS relational database. Pretty impressive, huh?

Speaking of impressive, OSHA also introduced the Technical Information Retrieval System (TIRS), which helped manage the massive amounts of paperwork and information they dealt with daily. This system was operated and maintained by OSHA’s Technical Data Center, and it played a vital role in maintaining file integrity and minimizing space and storage requirements for OSHA’s dockets.

Now let’s shift our focus to OSHA’s training initiatives. Since its early days, OSHA recognized the importance of training as a critical component in maintaining safe and healthy workplaces. Throughout the 1990s, the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) was the agency’s primary training provider. They offered a wide range of courses and seminars on OSHA standards, policies, and procedures. Their main goal was to train federal and state compliance officers and State consultation staff, but they also provided courses to private sector employers, employees, and federal personnel from other agencies when space allowed.

However, by the early 1990s, the demand for OTI courses had outgrown their capacity to supply them. In response, the OTI developed a pilot project to authorize nonprofit safety and health training organizations to conduct the most requested courses. This led to the creation of the first four OSHA Training Institute Education Centers, selected through a national competition. The pilot was a success, and additional competitions in 1993 and 1994 led to the establishment of at least one OTI Education Center in each of OSHA’s regions. These centers receive no funding from OSHA and are sustained by tuition and other fees. By 2007, the number of OTI Education Centers had increased to 28, and over 150,000 students had been trained. Today, these centers remain a crucial part of OSHA’s compliance assistance efforts, providing training and seminars to individuals who otherwise wouldn’t have access to OSHA’s occupational safety and health programs.

OSHA’s primary initiative for educating workers in construction and general industry about hazard recognition and avoidance is the Outreach Training Program. Established in the early 1970s, this program uses a train-the-trainer approach to promote workplace safety and health training. Authorized trainers who successfully complete the required OSHA Training Institute courses can conduct 10- and 30-hour training programs in construction or general industry and distribute OSHA Training Institute cards to their students.

The establishment of the OTI Education Centers greatly impacted the growth of the Outreach Training Program throughout the 1990s and beyond. By increasing the number of available trainer courses and authorized trainers, the program was able to reach more workers. In FY 1992, outreach trainers trained fewer than 50,000 employees; by FY 2007, that number had risen to over 520,000.

Let’s not forget about the revolutionary changes in information technology that took place during the 1990s. These changes dramatically impacted the way OSHA staff conducted their work. At the beginning of the decade, only a few PCs were available in National and Regional Offices, and OSHA Area Offices relied on terminals connected to a small Unix server for clerical tasks, like generating citations and running reports. However, by the end of the 1990s, virtually everyone had a Windows-based PC at their desk, complete with access to email and the internet.

At the start of the 1990s, it became evident that OSHA was lagging in its automation support for office operations. The Altos computer, a cutting-edge technology installed in the mid-1980s, was no longer competitive when compared to the tools available with newer equipment. To address this issue, OSHA purchased NCR computers in 1992, which provided a significant upgrade to the office automation capabilities in the field.

For many OSHA staff members, the NCR equipment was their first experience with computers. This upgrade brought a suite of top-of-the-line products, including WordPerfect, Lotus123, and the database that continued to run on Informix. Although there was some resistance to the new equipment and the expectation that CSHOs would now enter their own forms into the IMIS and perform other clerical tasks, the agency dealt with this by making the system optional. Over time, some staff eagerly learned the new technology, while others were convinced by watching their peers use the system effectively and efficiently.

In addition to the NCR computers, some area offices began purchasing laptop computers during this period. Region VIII developed a “Robo-CSHO” application that allowed for on-the-go computing with a portable printer, enabling CSHOs to issue citations on-site. Although this character-based application only included basic inspection forms (OSHA-1 and 1B), it laid the foundation for the idea that a portable application could help CSHOs better document cases by providing technical information at their fingertips, eliminating duplication of effort in documenting cases, and ultimately, achieving abatement sooner. This foundation would later be built upon for future CSHO applications and the Occupational Safety and Health Response Application (OSHRA), which was developed as part of the Hurricane Katrina response.

Assistant Secretary Joe Dear aimed to modernize the information technology tools available to agency staff. In 1995, Dear allocated funds to provide PCs for everyone in the agency and a pool of shared laptops for each Area Office. Concurrently, the agency began working to provide networking and email access to everyone within the organization.

Over the next four years, the agency expanded networking and internet capabilities for all staff. In Area Offices, the first step was to use the NCR as a file server with Z-Mail. Regional Office staff was added to the Department’s Executive Computer Network (ECN), and in the National Office, a few people were connected to the ECN. When the decision was made to expand access to everyone, OSHA moved off the ECN and established its own Microsoft network.

By early 1997, everyone in the agency had access to email. However, the various networks and email programs created a patchwork of systems that made compatibility a challenge. To resolve this, OSHA began converting all offices to a Windows-based network called OSHANet in 1997. Each office had a server that could run independently of the rest of the network, and every site was connected in a Wide Area Network (WAN) through an internet connection. By the end of 1998, the conversion to OSHANet was complete, and the first version of remote access was available.

In the early 1990s, OSHA’s Salt Lake Technical Center made its first foray into developing an online presence by creating a Gopher site. Gopher was a pre-web protocol for organizing and presenting information on the internet. It provided a simple, text-based interface for navigating and searching the contents of the site. In 1993, OSHA launched its first website, which was maintained by the Salt Lake Technical Center. As the internet evolved, so did OSHA’s website, eventually becoming an essential resource for employees and the public alike.

By the end of the decade, the OSHA website had grown to include a wealth of information, such as safety and health regulations, compliance assistance materials, and agency news. The site also started featuring tools like the eLaws Advisors, which were interactive online applications designed to help users understand OSHA requirements and how they applied to specific situations.

In 1998, the agency launched the OSHA Data Initiative (ODI), a data collection program that aimed to capture injury and illness information from thousands of establishments across various industries. This data would help OSHA focus its enforcement and outreach efforts on the most critical safety and health hazards. The ODI data was published on the OSHA website, allowing the public to access this information and use it for their purposes.

Throughout the 1990s, OSHA also began to invest in the development of internal databases and electronic recordkeeping systems. One of the early systems was the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), which was implemented in 1984 and aimed to streamline the management of OSHA’s enforcement and compliance activities. As technology advanced, OSHA continued to refine IMIS and incorporate new features, such as electronic case file management, which allowed CSHOs to access and manage inspection records electronically.

The proliferation of computer technology and the internet significantly impacted OSHA’s operations in the 1990s. These advancements allowed the agency to improve internal processes, enhance communication with the public, and better serve its mission of protecting workers’ safety and health. As technology continues to evolve, OSHA will undoubtedly continue to adapt and find new ways to leverage these advancements for the betterment of worker safety in the United States.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8

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