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By Jon Hyman
Nov. 5, 2015
Earlier this week, President Barack Obama signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. On its surface, it funds the federal government through 2017 and prevents any federal shutdowns during that time. Employers that read the fine-print, however, might be in for an OSHA-related shock.
OSHA’s penalties have looked the same for the past 25 years:
These penalties, however, will be on the rise under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.
The question, however, is what purpose do these increased penalties serve? Will they lead to safer workplaces? Your answer to that question will depend on whether you think employers do not care if their employees are injured, or if they want to provide safe, accident-free workplaces for their employees? I tend to fall squarely in the camp of the latter. Employers do not want injured workers, and want to do everything in their abilities to provide employees safe places to work. Therefore, I do not believe these added penalties will do anything to increase workplace safety. All they will do is increase the federal coffers.
OSHA’s current penalty system (especially as it’s currently being enforced) is punitive enough. Nevertheless, if you fall on the side of “employers do not care if their employees are suffering injuries,” employers now have an added financial incentive to maintain a safe workplace.
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