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OSHA VIOLATIONS

Last updated: Sep 26, 2020
OSHA is responsible for protection of workers including their health, safety at work, and managing healthy environment. OSHA has set standards for major safety concerns, and employers and employee must comply with the rules and regulations so everyone can go home safely. To complete the mission of safety of workers, OSH Act is enforced to secure and provide healthy working environment by the enforcement of laws and standards.

Violation of these laws and standards can put staff's lives on the line. So, today we will have a look on these violations to safeguard workplaces by providing standard healthy and safe working environment. OSHA classify these violations into six categories and each category have recommended a mandatory penalty.

Hello there! On a related topic, we previously wrote a blog about OSHA Safety Measures To Protect Workers. If this peaks your interest, check it out and let us know what you think.

Types of OSHA Violations:

Let's have a look into these six categories and understand the basics, so it will help employer and employees later.

Willful Violations:

Willful Violations are any violations which will put the life-on-line of committer himself or others at workplace with his determined intention, regardless of consequences. To categorize a violation as "willful", It is not necessary to commit the violation with bad purpose, it only had to be intentional. Willful Violations are considered to be most serious violations as they are intentional and incidents caused due to these violations can easily be controlled by following proper given standards.

Penalty: In federal states OSHA purpose $126,749 minimum penalty and $132,598 maximum penalty for each willful violation. Many states operating their own occupational safety and health programs still have the penalty from $5000 to $70000. If a live is lost due to this violation, committer might also be imprisoned for up to months.

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Other-Than-Serious Violations:

Other-Than-Serious Violations are in situations where the most serious injury cannot reasonably be predicted to cause death or physical harm. It can have a direct and immediate relationship to workplace safety and health. OSHA inspector can decide to fine or not to impose a fine and have right to reduce fine amount by 90 percent. Inspectors normally make these decisions on basis of factors such as the type and size of business.

Penalty: In federal states the penalty is from 12,934 to $13,260. In other states penalty is still $7000. The accurate amount can only be known once inspector judged the situation and seriousness of violation.

Repeated Violations:

Normally, violation is considered as repeated if the violation is same, but a Violation can also be repeated even if the violator does not commit the same act because violations are categorized as repeated if it's another identical or very similar violation. However, if the employer disagrees with the original violation and awaits a final decision from OSHA then the violation cannot be categorized as repeated violation.

Penalty: As by OHSA proposal penalty of repeated violations is same as willful violations that Is from $126,749 to $132,598. Many states operating their own occupational safety and health programs still have the penalty from $5000 to $70000. Each time a violation is repeated the penalty will be double the amount.

Failure to Abate Prior Violation:

After receiving a violation citation by OSHA, the citation includes a deadline and within this deadline employer must remedy the situation or else employer will be charged with a fine of $7000 until the situation is remedied.

Penalty: Fine of $7000 from the day after the specified date until employer remedies the condition.

De Minimis Violations:

When OSHA inspector compare the quantity, size, weight, distance or capacity of any material or machinery to a designed standard provided by OSHA and give instructions to improve it, this type of violation can be categorized as De Minimis Violation. This type of violation has no direct relation with health or safety of workplace. It is the least serious violation thus it does not result in penalty.

When OSHA inspector compare the quantity, size, weight, distance or capacity of any material or machinery to a designed standard provided by OSHA and give instructions to improve it, this type of violation can be categorized as De Minimis Violation. This type of violation has no direct relation with health or safety of workplace. It is the least serious violation thus it does not result in penalty.

Penalty: There is no penalty, but OSHA inspector can verbally guide the employer.

 

Serious Violations:

A serious violation shall be considered to exist in any situation that has a definite chance of causing injury or death and failed to rectify it, is considered as a serious violation. It is necessary that the employer knows the presence of the violation. Penalties are judged by the seriousness of violation and by viewing employer's previous convictions.

Penalty: In Federal States the penalty is from $129,336 to $132,260. Occupational safety and health programs by other states still have penalty from $7000 for each violation and can be adjust by the size of business and violation seriousness.

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Important Note:

The Act does not cover
:

  • Self-employed persons
  • Farms which employ only immediate members of the farmer's family
  • Working conditions for which other Federal agencies, operating under the authority of other Federal laws, regulate worker safety. This category includes most working conditions in mining, nuclear energy and nuclear weapons manufacture, and many aspects of the transportation industries.
  • Employees of state and local governments, unless they are in one of the states operating an OSHA-approved state plan.
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