OSHA can’t send people responsible for workplace safety to jail. But they can refer cases to local prosecutors who are able to seek prison time. That’s what happened in this case, and now two men will be locked up.

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Tags: fall, fall protection, harnesses, involuntary manslaughter, owner jailed

It’s almost one year since the oil well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 workers and caused the biggest offshore spill in U.S. history. A recent news report says the federal government is consolidating its efforts to bring criminal charges against the company and perhaps some of its managers.

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Tags: BP explosion, criminal charges, Deepwater Horizon, involuntary manslaughter, sacrificed safety

When investigations into workplace deaths find particularly egregious safety failures, the penalties won’t stop with fines from OSHA. These cases can be forwarded to prosecutors for criminal charges. That’s what happened in this California fatality.

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Tags: death of pregnant employee, involuntary manslaughter, jail time

California is serious about providing outdoor workers with relief from heat: Three top officials for a now out-of-business farm labor contractor face involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of a teen from heat stress.

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Tags: heat stress, involuntary manslaughter, Maria Vasquez Jimenez, relief from heat