Uh oh. An OSHA inspector shows up at your business. He uncovers a violation, and you don’t dispute it. How do you limit your company’s financial liability?
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Tags: excavation, lower OSHA fines, OSHRC, willful violation
As Wal-Mart fights an OSHA general duty clause (GDC) fine about retail crowds, the agency has issued another citation under the catch-all regulation involving workplace violence.
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Tags: General Duty Clause, health care, hospital, workplace violence
It’s full-speed ahead for OSHA, which is trying to make up for what it views as eight lost years during the Bush administration.
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OSHA has an explicit new message for the millions of workers who participate in the agency’s outreach training program: We’re on your side.
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Tags: David Michaels, Injuries, OSHA
When federal OSHA announced a crackdown on state-run safety agencies, it said many of them were issuing fines that didn’t serve as deterrents to companies. Now it appears at least one state has heard that message loud and clear.
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Tags: hand injury, ignored warnings, record fine, state-run safety agencies
OSHA has fined a Belvedere, IL, company $510,000 in connection with a December 2009 explosion that killed a bystander.
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Tags: bystander killed, explosion, NDK Crystals, willful violations
The cries for less government have become more frequent these days, including in reader comments on this website when OSHA ramps up enforcement or rulemaking. One frequent argument is that OSHA’s regulations hurt the U.S. economy.
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Tags: less government, OSHA hurts U.S. economy, OSHA ramps up enforcement
It’s not a secret anymore that OSHA under the Obama administration will focus more on enforcement than employer assistance programs. But a U.S. senator has introduced a bill to make one such program for companies a permanent fixture at OSHA.
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Tags: focus on enforcement, Sen. Michael Enzi, Voluntary Protection Program
Seven-figure OSHA fines are becoming more common, especially in cases when the agency believes the company acted with willful disregard to safety.
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“Unscrupulous employers often consider it more cost effective to pay the minimal OSHA penalty and continue to operate an unsafe workplace than to correct the underlying health and safety problem. The current penalties do not provide an adequate deterrent.”
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Tags: David Michaels, death of an employee, OSHA penalty, prison time, Protecting America's Workers Act
In the first year of the Obama administration, OSHA was busy handing out fines the likes of which hadn’t been seen for eight years. Here’s our rundown of 10 significant fines from the last 12 months, and what they mean for businesses:
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Tags: BP, Obama administration, OSHA fines, prison time, top 10
The writing was on the wall when OSHA said last year it was reviewing its Voluntary Protection Program. But now it’s official: The program is slated to get less funding in the President’s proposed 2011 budget.
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Tags: compliance assistance, David Michaels, Hilda Solis, Voluntary Protection Program, VPP
Some call it “pack journalism.” But no matter what it’s called, it’s becoming apparent that the general news media are hitching onto the “OSHA’s not doing its job” bandwagon.
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Tags: CAL-OSHA, DuPont, Las Vegas, media criticism, OSHA
Criminal prosecution of companies where safety violations cause serious injuries or fatalities are rare in the U.S. With that in mind, it’s interesting to note how such cases are handled in another democracy.
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Tags: Australia, criminal prosecution, serious injury or death
It turns out OSHA’s newly increased budget comes with some strings attached.
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Tags: low-hazard industries, OSHA inspections, small businesses
As the economy changes, OSHA has signaled it intends to keep up with the times by focusing on new industries as they emerge.
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Tags: David Michaels, green jobs, NIOSH
At least 10 companies with prior records of workplace safety violations have received millions in federal stimulus contracts in one state.
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Tags: cave-in, OSHA violations, stimulus contracts, trenches
It’s no secret: Companies hardly ever pay fine amounts that OSHA initially issues. Sometimes, the amounts are reduced significantly. Is that about to change?
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Tags: Jordan Barab, OSHA penalty reductions, violation abatement
“Sixteen workers are killed a day in the United States because of reckless negligence on the part of their employers,” according to a new Web site.
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Tags: 16 deaths per day, Protecting America's Workers Act, worker deaths
OSHA is doing something it hasn’t done in a long time: The federal agency has formed a task force to investigate a state workplace safety agency.
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Tags: Jordan Barab, Nevada, OSHA
OSHA isn’t going to wait around for the next big chemical release or explosion. Companies covered by the agency’s process safety management (PSM) standard shouldn’t be surprised to see inspectors on their doorsteps in the near future.
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Does OSHA work for working people? No way, says David Michaels — the man President Obama will nominate to run the agency.
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Tags: agenda, David Michaels, OSHA
It’s been a little over a year since the feds announced the third-largest penalty in OSHA history.
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Tags: combustible dust, fines, Imperial Sugar, OSHA, settlements
No contrast between the Bush administration and the Obama administration is more stark than the dramatically different signals they’ve sent in selecting nominees to head federal safety and labor agencies.
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Tags: Joseph Main, MSHA, nominee, OSHA
A federal investigation appears to show that Imperial Sugar Co. didn’t train many workers at its Port Wentworth plant about how to escape during an emergency.
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Tags: federal investigation, Imperial Sugar explosion, OSHA investigation Imperial Sugar
For the last eight years, OSHA has de-emphasized recordkeeping inspections. That’s about to change.
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Tags: American Society of Safety Engineers, Jordan Barab, OSHA recordkeeping inspections
OSHA is two-thirds of the way through the federal 2009 fiscal year. How are inspections stacking up this year?
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Tags: ASSE, high incident rates, OSHA inspections
For the last eight years, OSHA has de-emphasized recordkeeping inspections. That’s about to change.
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Tags: ASSE, Hilda Solis, Jordan Barab, OSHA NEP, OSHA recordkeeping
The interim head of OSHA says it’s time to look at restructuring OSHA fines.
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Tags: ASSE Safety 2009, Jordan Barab, OSHA fines
U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis had two messages for attendees at the American Society of Safety Engineers’ annual conference: We’re here to help companies provide safe workplaces, but we’ll also crack down on those who don’t.
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Tags: American Society of Safety Engineers, Hilda Solis, Jordan Barab, Safety 2009, Texas construction fatalities
A government report critical of the Voluntary Protection Program was expected by many. OSHA’s response to the report is even more interesting.
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Tags: Government Accountability Office, Jordan Barab, OSHA enforcement, OSHA VPP, Voluntary Protection Program
As U.S. companies are watching how OSHA changes under the Obama administration, the agency’s counterpart in Great Britain has launched a 10-point plan to tackle death and injury at work.
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Tags: death and injury at work in Great Britain, HSE safety strategy, recession and workplace safety
Some tough talk about enforcement from OSHA’s interim administrator, Jordan Barab.
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California officials have more than fines to use against companies that expose employees to extreme outdoor heat without adequate protection — and they’re using these measures against violators.
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Tags: expose employees to extreme outdoor heat, heat illness prevention regulations, Merced Farm Labor
Want a signal of how serious OSHA is about ramping up enforcement?
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Tags: Enhanced Enforcement Program, Severe Violators Inspection Program, Voluntary Protection Program
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