Employee health and safety are critical to the lifespan and success of the company. Workplace safety is enforced at the federal level in the United States by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA. They accomplish this by looking into employee safety complaints and conducting workplace inspections. If OSHA regulations are broken at work, there may be fines, penalties, and even jail time.
Understanding the six primary infractions of OSHA laws can help you better comprehend OSHA’s requirements and avoid of potentially hazardous circumstances at work and unpredictable consequences. Penalties and fines may be modified by OSHA inspectors in accordance with the severity of the infraction, the size of the business, and owner cooperation. Other rules and requirements are specific to each state.
De Minimis Violations
Technical violations of OSHA regulations that do not endanger the health or safety of employees are known as de minimis violations. It is the least serious of the six infractions and carries no serious penalties or sanctions. Rather, the OSHA inspector notes the infraction in the inspection file and verbally notifies the company of the violation. An employer who offers a ladder with 13 inches between each rung rather than the OSHA minimum of 12 inches is committing a de minimis violation.
Penalty for De Minimis Violations
No financial penalty or citation is issued.
Non-Serious Violations
The next level up from de minimis violations is other-than-serious offenses. Even though it wouldn’t result in serious harm or death, other-than-serious infractions could endanger workers’ health and well-being. The failure to display necessary paperwork in work spaces is an illustration of this type of violation.
Penalty for Non-Serious Violations
The penalty amount ranges from no penalty up to $15,625 per violation.
Serious Violations
As the name suggests, major OSHA violations are just that—serious. These infractions happen when a company is aware of a working hazard that could lead to a sickness or accident that causes serious harm or death, but fails to take appropriate action to address the issue. Insufficient fall protection for workers, inadequate respiratory protection for workers in high-risk areas, dangerous ladders, and unsafe scaffolding were among the most serious OSHA violations last year.
Penalty for Serious Violations
The penalty amount can be up to $15,625 per violation.
Deliberate Violations
Willful violations, which are the most serious kind of violations, happen when a company willfully ignores OSHA rules and deliberately endangers the health and safety of its workers. If a death occurs at work, this violation turns into a crime that carries jail time and further penalties.
Penalties for Willful violations
The maximum penalty for each violations is $156,259.
Frequent Violations
OSHA inspectors have the authority to issue a repeated offense citation to a company if it does not address a previously reported violation. If similar abuses are discovered during further inspections, there will likewise be repeated violations. The company cannot be cited for a repeated violation while it is still challenging the initial infraction and awaiting a ruling.
Penalties for Repeat Offenses
The maximum penalty for each infraction is $156,259.
Neglecting to Reduce Previous Violations
There is a time frame within which the company must make amends for OSHA violations. Employers are subject to failure to abate the preceding violation and are required to pay a fine every day after the abatement date until the breach is fixed if they don’t comply within the allotted period.
Penalties for Neglecting to Reduce Previous Violations
After the abatement date, the penalty can reach $15,625 each day.
