OSHA: Violator enforcement program ‘off to strong start’
Washington – An internal review (.pdf file) of OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program found the program is meeting its key goals and is “off to a strong start,” but particular challenges regarding the construction industry remain.
SVEP was instituted in June 2010 and focuses enforcement efforts on recalcitrant employers that the agency accuses of being indifferent to the safety and health of employees.
Released internally in January and published on OSHA’s website in late February, the review analyzes the status of SVEP cases as of Sept. 30, 2011, and Feb. 29, 2012.
Among the findings:
- Mandatory follow-up inspections were regularly conducted.
- Few cases have required court orders to force compliance.
- Construction companies can be hard to locate for follow-up inspections because of the short-term nature of the jobs and the small size of many of the companies.
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