Wednesday, November 09, 2016
New OSHA fine increases are hitting contractors hard
www.thecontractorcoachingpartnership.com: OSHA fines increased by 78% on August 1 and they are hitting contractors' where it hurts; their wallets. We are seeing an increase in Serious fines and an alarming amount of Willful and Repeat penalties. Serious fines have increased from up to $7,000.00 to $12,471.00 Willful and Repeat fines have increased from up to $70,000.00 to $124,600.00. Some businesses will never recover form these fines.
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5 comments:
I’m both pleased and a little wary to read that OSHA is upping their game in terms of fining for improper conduct. I’m pleased because when I am a laborer for summer stock or an internship I’ll want all the protection that OSHA can give me. In Molly’s class we learned that OSHA used to be much more powerful and made more of a difference than it does currently, so the fact that they’re starting to climb back up to where they were is relieving. However, I’ll eventually become a managerial staff member, and when that happens OSHA will become a much less friendly entity, and might shift more to an over bearing parents who is there to fine you for anything and everything. So maybe I don’t want OSHA to gain more traction, I’m not sure which side of the fence I’m falling on in terms of if this is good or not.
I think this radical increase in fines will do a lot of good for the safety of many contractors. Although many companies will see this as a harsh punishment for sometimes simple mistakes, I believe it will make contractors think twice about their employees safety. The safety measures that OSHA requires are part of doing high stakes jobs. If a misstep could lead to death, safety harnests should be worn. Drastically increasing fines reaffirms OSHA's belief that safety is #1. As shocking as it may seem, the shock value is the point. I'm glad OSHA is reiterating their firm belief in workplace safety. I think their strict guidelines protect the employee and safeguard them from danger and managerial pressure to produce more at the detriment of safety.
The fact that OSHA has up their fines for serious and repeated offenses is a good thing in my opinion. The reason being that the only way to change a companies opinion on the importantance of their employees' safety will only change if they attack the wallets of said companies. I would hope that this changes are also enforced on larger businesses and not just ignore these actions because they have more money. Thus it is a good step forward that will hopefully cause the industry to take its employees safety seriously.
All I have to say is GOOD. I think the fines for violating any OSHA standards should be so severe that it is hard for the company to financially recover after they get done emptying their piggy banks because they thought anything was more important than safety. Too often do we encounter situations where people choose to bend rules or just blatantly ignore safety in order to get their work done faster or easier and it is a serious offense. I certainly hope employers begin to dock the salary of their employees too if the company begins to get fined as a result of their stupidity. I am glad to hear that the government is beginning to crack down on this much more severely than they did before because in the end, if people are dead or injured, does it really matter if you're getting the work done? I do feel if you still see repeated fines you will start to see what companies really care about.
What a way to lose money. With the simple carelessness of not wearing personal protection on a job site, the fines can increase quite a bit. Of course OSHA rules have certain constraints like what kind of building you are working on, and what the height requirements of the said building are that allow you to not need certain safety gear like a hard hat. It seems like common knowledge to always wear safety glasses. The last thing you would want to have happen are splinters getting shot into your eye. Sometimes employers just need to take that extra time to provide the proper gear. It wouldn’t be that difficult, and it will probably save you some money in the long run. Have I seen improper use of equipment on a jobsite? Sure I have. The way I see it, if they want to go and get themselves injured due to their own carelessness, after having been told to do something the right way, I believe that’s on them.
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