Which fine is larger: One from OSHA involving two worker deaths or a Gaming Control Board fine against a Las Vegas casino for underage drinking and drug use?

If you guessed the Casino Control Board fine, you’re right. It’s actually 2.75 times larger than the OSHA fine.

That’s the comparison made in a Las Vegas Sun article. Earlier this year, the Sun won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its investigation of construction deaths on the Las Vegas strip.

Two years ago, two workers died and a third was seriously injured in a maintenance accident at the Orleans casino. After negotiations, the Orleans settled the case for $184,000.

Recently, the Gaming Control Board fined Planet Hollywood $500,000 for problems at its nightclub including underage drinking, leaving dangerously drunk patrons unattended, drug use, and physical and sexual assault of patrons by nightclub employees.

Casinos regularly agree to pay the fines the board issues rather than allowing the board to prosecute the cases.

On the other hand, companies almost always get OSHA penalties lowered through appeals. Sometimes citations are thrown out altogether.

The average OSHA fine for a serious violation in Nevada is $1,400. Federal OSHA’s average serious fine is between $900 and $1,000.

Do you think OSHA fines need to be increased? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

Tags: Las Vegas Sun, Nevada OSHA, OSHA fine