The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently raised penalty rates for safety violations for the first time in over a decade. In November 2015, Congress enacted legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation. This change impacted OSHA, which last adjusted its penalties in 1990.
The new penalties took effect August 2, 2016, and any citations issued on or after this date will be subject to the new penalties if the related violations occurred after November 2, 2015.
The new citation model specifies that for “serious” and “other” violations, the maximum penalty amount is $12,471 which was raised from $7,000 per violation. For “willful or repeated” violations, the new maximum penalty is $124,709 which is an increase from $70,000 per violation. These new rates represent a 78% increase.
ACT Ohio supports OSHA promoting workplace safety in the construction industry.
