OSHA INCREASES CIVIL PENALTIES
DOL announced last week that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration civil penalty amounts for serious and “other-than-serious” safety violations have been adjusted based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2021. The maximum penalties for these violations will increase from $13,494 per violation to $13,653 per violation, or by $159. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $134,937 per violation to $136,532 per violation, or $1,595.
Read the full announcement online.
Visit the OSHA Penalty Page for more information.
OSHA REVISES SITE-SPECIFIC TARGETING INFORMATION
OSHA has updated its Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Program, the primary targeting program for non-construction establishments with 20 or more employees. The SST Program directs agency enforcement resources to those with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses. The updated directive went into effect Dec. 14 and replaces the 2016 SST Program.
The most significant changes include:
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A new targeting category has been added that uses a three-year data range to target sites reflecting a rate increase during that period.
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It is now permissible to change the scope of an inspection from a comprehensive to records-only inspections in limited situations.
Site-specific targeting uses employer-submitted injury and illness data. OSHA will generate inspection lists of establishments with elevated Days Away, Restricted or Transferred rates for calendar year 2019, as well as sites with upward trending DART rates from 2017 to 2019. The three-year list is new to the program.
The SST Program directs agency enforcement resources to those with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses. The updated directive went into effect Dec. 14 and replaces the 2016 SST Program.
For more information on DOL and OSHA policies and directives, please contact Mike McCullion, Director of Market Sectors and Safety, at mmccullion@smacna.org.
