A provision in the budget bill recently signed by President Obama raised U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration raises fines for workplace safety violations for the first time in 25 years.
The measure that brings penalties in line with inflation increases since 1990 also requires future OSHA and state agency penalty hikes to continue to rise with inflation. OSHA has not announced the exact increase, but it could be as much as an 80% jump.
The agency must decide on the increased percentage by mid-2016. Industry experts told The Wall Street Journal they were surprised by the provision, which would likely raise maximum penalties for the most severe violations from $70,000 to $125,000, and other serious violations from $7,000 to $12,500.
Safety advocates hailed the new measure, saying it was a step in the right direction to make workplaces safer. Last year, the average fine for an incident resulting in a worker's death was $7,000, and then reduced to $5,050 after settlement talks, according to the AFL-CIO.
Related Stories
Urban Planning | May 4, 2016
Brookings report details how different industries innovate
In the new report, “How Firms Learn: Industry Specific Strategies for Urban Economies,” Brookings' Scott Andes examines how manufacturing and software services firms develop new products, processes, and ideas.
Contractors | May 3, 2016
ABC: Nonresidential construction spending slips in March
Spending is up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. Half of the 16 nonresidential construction subsectors experienced monthly spending growth last month, while 12 are up on a year-ago basis.
Market Data | Apr 29, 2016
ABC: Quarterly GDP growth slowest in two years
Bureau of Economic Analysis data indicates that the U.S. output is barely growing and that nonresidential investment is down.
Contractors | Apr 29, 2016
OSHA issues advisory to protect workers from Zika virus
Construction industry workers considered at high risk.
Government Buildings | Apr 22, 2016
Public-private partnership used to fund Long Beach Civic Center Project
Arup served as a lead advisor and oversaw financial, commercial, real estate, design, engineering, and cost consulting.
Contractors | Apr 21, 2016
Dewalt introduces rugged construction smartphone
The Android-powered device is waterproof, dustproof, weatherproof, and can withstand drops up to six feet.
Building Tech | Apr 12, 2016
Should we be worried about a tech slowdown?
Is the U.S. in an innovative funk, or is this just the calm before the storm?
Green | Apr 4, 2016
AIA report analyzes 20 years of the best green projects
"Lessons from the Leading Edge" is a study of the 200 Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award winning projects since 1997.
Market Data | Apr 4, 2016
ABC: Nonresidential spending slip in February no cause for alarm
Spending in the nonresidential sector totaled $690.3 billion on a seasonally adjusted, annualized basis in February. The figure is a step back but still significantly higher than one year ago.