04.11.2015

OSHA fines to rise

Federal and state Occupational Safety and Health Administrations will be able to raise fines and other penalties for safety violations in the workplace this week for the first time since 1990, following a provision in the latest budget bill signed into law by president Barack Obama.

The provision brings the level of fines that can be charged in line with 25 years of inflation. The change also allows them to rise with inflation going forward.

Even though the increases could be as much as 80 percent - taking fines for severe citations from $70,000 each to $125,000 from $70,000 – they will still be low when compared to those typically seen in Europe and many other regions. OSHA was one of a few federal agencies that were specifically exempted from a 1990 bill that required agencies to raise their fines in line with inflation.