Fines/Penalties

Washington – Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez voiced his support for OSHA cooperative programs, as well as the need to increase the agency’s penalty limits, during a March 18 House hearing on the Department of Labor’s budget request for fiscal year 2016.

A pair of poultry industry associations blasted OSHA for alleged inconsistencies in the agency’s approach toward enforcing safety and health in the industry.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has scheduled informal public hearings on its proposal to revise procedures for assessing civil penalties.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration has extended to Dec. 3 the comment period for a proposed rule that would revise procedures for assessing civil penalties.

Washington – Employers bidding on large federal contracts must disclose recent violations of labor laws, according to requirements outlined in a new Executive Order.

Arlington, VA – Minimum penalties for some mining violations would increase under a proposed rule from the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Washington – Nearly 30 percent of employers that rank among the top violators of federal wage and safety laws receive federal contracts, according to a report issued Dec. 11 by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee after a yearlong investigation.

Should workers who violate safety regulations face fines? Several Canadian provinces have implemented penalty systems that allow workers and front-line supervisors to be cited. Should OSHA do the same, or does the responsibility for a safe workplace rest solely with the employer?

West, TX – The parent company of a fertilizer storage facility has been issued $118,300 in proposed OSHA penalties for violations in connection with an April explosion that killed 15 people in West, TX.