Missed Fine Collection Deadlines May Have Cost OSHA Millions

OSHA’s attempt to collect fines from deadbeat employers was hampered by the agency failing to file debt collection notices on time with the Treasury Department, the Department of Labor Inspector General’s Office said in a new report.

During fiscal years 2018 and 2019, OSHA closed 2,413 debt collection cases with $19.1 million in unpaid fines, the audit said.

“The untimely transfer of the debt to Treasury [Department] limited the time Treasury had to collect the debt and decreased the likelihood of collection, thereby reducing the effectiveness of OSHA’s primary means of preventing or correcting employer safety violations voluntarily,” said ...