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OSHA Fines Are On The Rise

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Learn what it costs to not be compliant with OSHA regulations

For the first time in a quarter-century, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has significantly raised the maximum penalty for a safety violation – up to 78% in some instances.  OSHA’s one-time “catch-up adjustment” was included in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, signed by President Obama on November 2, 2016. Any citations issued by OSHA on or after this date will be subject to the new penalties - if the related violations occurred after November 2, 2015.

The new adjustment for OSHA penalties went into effect Tuesday, August 2, 2016. The increase is based on the percentage difference between the Consumer Price Index in October 2015 and October 1990.

Here’s what the changes look like dollar-wise:

   Type of Violation

    Current

    Maximum

    Penalty

    New

    Maximum

    Penalty

Serious

Other-Than-Serious

Posting Requirements

$7,000 per violation

$12,471 per violation

Failure to Abate

$7,000 per day

beyond the abatement date

$12,471 per day beyond the

abatement date

Willful or Repeated

$70,000 per violation

$124,709 per violation

Source: OSHA

What does this mean for your business? Now is a great time to stress the importance of a successful safety program. Inform, protect, and motivate your workforce by promoting safe work practices. Review your near misses and celebrate your safe days. A well-organized and properly executed safety program is vital to preventing accidents and injuries as well as avoiding hefty fines.

Ask yourself these questions: Are my employees properly trained to run the equipment they’re using? Have we participated in OSHA 10 Hour Training? Are we providing the required Personal Protective Equipment and are my employees wearing it? Is our working environment clean and efficient?  Do we have all the mandatory OSHA signs in designated areas throughout our facility?

Here are OSHA’s Top 10 Citations

Here are top 10 citations from 2016 and links to more details on each applicable regulation:

  1. 1926.501 - Fall Protection
  2. 1910.1200 - Hazard Communication
  3. 1926.451 - Scaffolding
  4. 1910.134 - Respiratory Protection
  5. 1910.147 - Lockout/Tagout
  6. 1926.1053 - Ladders
  7. 1910.178 - Powered Industrial Trucks
  8. 1910.212 - Machine Guarding
  9. 1926.503 Fall Protection, training requirements
  10. 1910.303 - Electrical, General Requirements

Prevent costly OSHA violations and keep your employees safe. OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program provides professional, high-quality, individualized assistance to small businesses at no cost.

OSHA also has compliance assistance specialists in most of their 85 Area Offices across the nation. They provide strong outreach and educational programs for employers and workers.

To read more about these changes please visit https://www.osha.gov/penalties/, here more detailed information can be obtained on how these increases could impact your business.

Ultimately a safe workplace can help you avoid injuries and fines charged by OSHA. Accuform is committed to helping you keep your co-workers safe! We encourage you to team up with your local Safety/MRO Product Distributor to learn more about further building a culture of safety at your workplace.  

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