As part of the budget reconciliation signed on Monday by President Obama, fines for safety and other violations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act will be raised significantly.
The budget included a bill entitled “Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvement Acts of 2015,” which allows the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) a “catch up adjustment” (pages 39-45 of the budget) from the last time fines were raised in 1990.
Under the act, the maximum serious violation fine would increase from $7,000 to $12,477, and the maximum repeat or serious violation fine would go from $70,000 to $124,768. The fines will be phased in by no later than next August.
To ensure you’re in full compliance with OSHA regulations, get a copy of our Workplace Safety Meeting Manual today. The easy-to-follow guidebook provides both insights in OSHA regulations and training solutions for those same regulations.