OSHA is changing its Severe Violator Enforcement Program to include violations of all hazards and standards and will continue to focus on repeat offenders.
Previously, an employer could be in the program for failing to meet a limited number of standards. This change will broaden the program’s scope and allow additional industries to fall within its parameters.
- program placement for employers with citations for at least two willful or repeat violations or who receive failure-to-abate notices based on the presence of high-gravity serious violations
- follow-up or referral inspections made one year – but not longer than two years – after the final order
- potential removal from the Severe Violator Enforcement Program three years after the date of receiving verification that the employer has abated all program-related hazards, and
- employers’ ability to reduce time spent in the program to two years, if they consent to an enhanced settlement agreement that includes use of a safety and health management system with seven basic elements in OSHA’s Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs.
Since 2010, the Severe Violator Enforcement Program has focused enforcement and inspection resources on employers who either willfully or repeatedly violate federal health and safety laws or refuse to correct prior violations.
In addition to being included on a public list of severe violators, employers are subject to follow-up inspections.
These changes replace the original 2010 instruction for the program, and will remain in effect until canceled or superseded.
