This article from the WSJ highlights what effect Trump-like deregulation may have; in this case stripping away regulations related to testing for sleep apnea among truckers and train engineers. To most safety professionals such a move would be a step in the wrong direction and would make the world less safe.
As Senator Chuck Schumer comments in the article, “There are some regulations that go too far but this is not one of them. Repealing it will risk lives.”
However, if reports are true that the Trump administration may roll back the so called “worker injury and illness reporting rule” (http://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/15180-osha-under-trump-a-closer-look) there would be reason to believe that such deregulation would make workers safer.
These rules include totally outdated and misleading comments (and regulations) about safety incentive programs that cause companies to not use the types of modern programs that improve employee engagement as a path towards improving safety with no risk whatsoever for accident or injury hiding. It is this type of poorly informed government regulation over-reach which can be cut away while producing a win-sin scenario for both businesses and workers.