OSHA PENALTIES GOING DOWN?!?

Beginning on January 28, 2018, OSHA penalties will actually be going down. That is not a misprint. They won’t be going down by much but they will be going down. The adjustments which take place every year are based on the Consumer Price Index. As a result, beginning January 28, 2018, the penalties will be as follows:

A.        Willful violations – between $8,908 and $124,709. They were previously at a maximum of $126,749.

B.        Repeat violations – They will be a maximum of $124,709. They were previously $126,709.

C.        Serious violations – They will be a maximum of $12,471. They were previously $12,675.

D.        Other than serious violations – They will be a maximum of $12,471. They had previously been $12, 675.

E.         Failure to correct violations – They will be a maximum of $12,471 a day. This is a decrease from a maximum of $12,675 a day.

Also, you need to remember that if you are an employer with 250 or more employees in an industry covered by an OSHA record-keeping regulation, you must submit your 2016 Form 300A by December 1, 2017. This was pushed back from a deadline of July 1, 2017.

Establishments with up to 249 employees in certain high risk industries have to submit their information for their 2016 Form 300A by December 1, 2017 also.