Would you like ‘the government deal’ with that OSHA fine?
October 11, 2011 by Fred HosierPosted in: Fatality, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, OSHA news, State OSHAs, Transportation safety, What do you think?
PDF Imagine this: A worker at your company is killed on the job. OSHA issues your company a fine. You make changes in your safety program to prevent a similar incident, and OSHA drops the fine completely. Not possible? It is.
On June 16, Tony Northcutt was sealing cracks on a highway when a dump truck backed over him. Northcutt was killed. The dump truck driver said he looked in his mirrors but didn’t see Northcutt behind him.
Indiana OSHA issued an $1,875 fine to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) but later waived the fine after INDOT proved it had implemented change in its safety program for its road workers.
INDOT’s new procedures call for a ground-spotter when vehicles are backing up near other workers.
An Indiana Department of Labor spokeswoman said waiving fines is standard practice for government agencies if they’ve complied with guidelines within a specific timeline, except when the violations are classified as “knowing” or “repeat.”
Of course, one practical reason for waiving safety fines against government agencies is the money would just go from one government wallet to another.
But what do you think about this practice? Should something more be required from a government agency (INDOT in this case) when a safety fine is forgiven, especially for a fatality? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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Tags: dump truck, Indiana OSHA, INDOT, OSHA drops fine
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October 11th, 2011 at 10:16 am
No surprise there. Wouldn’t happen in the private sector. The same sector that created the wealth for those “inspectors” in the first place.
October 11th, 2011 at 11:29 am
Where are the screams against the evil government employers who don’t care about their workers?
October 11th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
Do as I say, not as I do.
October 11th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Ridiculous!
October 18th, 2011 at 9:56 am
Funny how OSHA fines a private owned farm 550K in fines for an employee being trapped chest deep in beans, but only a “waved” $1875.00 fine for a death. Neither company intended for an injury/death to occure. I deal with OSHA on a regular basis at my job and I have never had OSHA come in and not walk out without several thousands of dollars in fines. Never any “repeat” or “knowing” or even “serious” mistakes, just nit picking stuff. Everytime, all concerns are corrected in a very timely manner, but not once have I seen a fine dropped. Can anyone say, “this is why the industrial sector of America has shipped across the seas to be made?” When a company looses a portion of their profits everytime OSHA decides to stop by, then can you blame a company for going where they control their company? We cater to every employee who cries pain, bend over backwards trying to pay and please them, only to pay hugh settlements. Most injuries, if not for the money the injured could receive, would only be a couple day pain. But put money with it and that high ankel sprain is now life threatening. Pay me big, my foot hurts and I can never work again. Pay, pay, pay. Between employees and OSHA we are lucky America has any jobs for those who want to work.
October 18th, 2011 at 10:22 am
The entire OSHA system should be reviewed and overhauled. It has lost it’s safety touch and become a revenue building machine. What should be there to help industry is now there to destroy it.