OSHA Safety Information For Oil Spill Cleanup Workers

Thousands of volunteers are flocking to Gulf Coast beaches to particpate in oil spill cleanup efforts.  These workers are still protected by and and bound to the safety requirements of OSHA.  To help with this process, OSHA has launched an informational website, which can be found here:

https://www.osha.gov/oilspills/

It contains information and personal protective equipment, environmental exposure and monitoring, potential hazards, and includes updates from BP.  It is a great source of information, and worth checking out.  We have also posted free training materials on our website at Affordable Safety Training.

OSHA Adops Stricter Penalties

The new Severe Violator Enforcement Program has been initiated to encourage employers to be more proactive in meeting safety and health requirements. This program will increase regulation, as well as impose higher penalties for violations. The goal of SVEP is to target repeat violators rather than compliant employers. In order to allocate the resources of OSHA accordingly, employers who have a history of failing to meet requirements will have more frequent inspections.

The maximum penalty for a serious violation will increase from $7,000 to $12,000, and the maximum penalty for a willful violation will increase from $70,000 to $250,000. This is expected to increase the average penalty for a serious violation from $1,000 to more than $3000. In addition, the penalties will be inflation-adjusted in the future.

Failing to comply with OSHA will now be even more costly. First, it will force violators to undergo more inspections and pay heftier fines. Secondly, they miss out on the reduced penalties for accommodating employers. Employers trying to cut safety and health costs may end up ultimately paying much more than they bargained for.