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ARTICLE · 09 AUGUST 2016

Increased OSHA Penalty Structure Becomes Effective Today

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This past November, Congress passed a budget that included legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation. In response, the Department of Labor is adjusting...

United StatesEmployment and HR
Daniel Kaplan
Daniel Kaplan
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This past November, Congress passed a budget that included legislation requiring federal agencies to adjust their civil penalties to account for inflation. In response, the Department of Labor (DOL) is adjusting penalties for its agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The new civil penalty structure for violations of the Occupational Safety and Health Act regulations go into effect today, August 1, 2016. This is the first time since 1990 that OSHA has raised penalties for violations.

OSHA's maximum penalties will increase by 78 percent. The following chart illustrates the penalty increases:

Any citations issued by OSHA after August 1, 2016, will be subject to this new penalties scale if the related alleged violations occurred after November 2, 2015.

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