Employers May Face Higher Safety Fines Under New OSHA Policy (1)

OSHA has expanded which types of violations qualify as egregious, allowing the agency to increase fines against employers with histories of endangering workers.

In an enforcement memorandum issued Thursday, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration said its policy for issuing “instance-by-instance” (IBI) citations was being expanded to include serious violations for life-threatening hazards.

The new policy takes effect in late March.

Previously, instance-by-instance citations could only be issued if the alleged violation was willful, meaning OSHA concluded the employer was aware of a danger but didn’t halt it.

“This is intended to be a targeted strategy for those employers who ...