Penalties
for Violating OSHA Rules
If
an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
compliance and safety officer conducts a workplace inspection
that reveals safety hazards, typically citations and penalties
will be issued to the employer.
Citations
and penalties are not issued immediately after an inspection;
they are mailed to the employer at a later date. Once an
employer has received a citation, it must be posted for
3 days or until the situation is corrected (whichever is
longer). Also, citations and penalties may be different
in each state.
Penalties
- Non-serious
violation- A safety hazard that is not life threatening,
but still hazardous will bring the smallest fine. Fines
can be up to $7,000 for each violation, or may be adjusted
down as much as 95% if the employer is compliant and has
a good history.
- Serious
violation- A violation that has the potential
to cause serious harm or death carries a fine of $1,500-$7,000.
- Willful
violation- A known hazard that was not corrected
and causes harm may cost the employer $5,000-$70,000 for
a violation. If a willful violation results in the death
of an employee, an employer may be fined up to $250,000
($500,000 if the employer is a corporation) and/or receive
up to 6 months in jail.
- Repeated
violation- If an employer allows a safety hazard
to happen more than once, he or she may be fined up to
$70,000. This amount may be multiplied by a specific number,
depending on the amount of employees, each time the violation
reoccurs.
Other
Types of Penalties
- Failure
to correct a hazard - An employer may be fined
up to $7,000 each day for hazards not corrected by the
time allowed on the citation.
- Falsifying
records - If convicted of falsifying employee
records, reports, or applications, an employer may be
fined $10,000 and/or given 6 months in jail.
-
Not posting citations - A fine of $7,000
may be issued to an employer for not posting required
OSHA material.
-
Interfering with a compliance officer
- If an employer interferes with a compliance officer
(resisting, opposing, or intimidating), he/she may be
fined up to $5,000 and given up to 3 years in jail.
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