In a new blog post written for The Huffington Post, OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass finds similarities among the BP oil spill, the Massey Energy mine explosion, and Toyota's massive vehicle recall. "In each instance, businesses with poor safety records have continued to operate in a system of voluntary regulation," Bass writes.

It doesn’t seem like a very safe time to be an American worker. Yesterday was Workers Memorial Day, and the news is filled with stories about why such a day is necessary. Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary of the Labor Department, called it a “somber time” in an event today at the Center for American Progress.

The Office of Management and Budget unveiled President Obama’s FY 2011 budget request on Monday. Obama has decided to propose a spending freeze for discretionary, non-defense budget items. (See OMB Watch’s statement here.) Because Obama has proposed an overall freeze and not a line-item-by-line-item freeze, spending could be transferred to other areas to reflect administration priorities.

Last night, the Senate confirmed David Michaels as head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). President Obama nominated Michaels on Aug. 5; the course of his nomination was rocky at times.