According to the U.S. Department of Labor, adjustments to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) civil penalties amounts are going up for 2021 based on cost-of-living adjustments.
“In 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act to advance the effectiveness of civil monetary penalties and to maintain their deterrent effect. Under the Act, agencies are required to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties, and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation no later than January 15 of each year.”
As a result of this legislation, the maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $13,494 per violation to $13,653 per violation and the maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $134,937 per violation to $136,532 per violation. The increased penalty levels apply to any penalties assessed after January 15, 2021.
In the wake of the pandemic, OSHA has implemented many new temporary health and safety guidelines for workplaces that cover social distancing, workspace sanitization, air quality, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
COVID-19-related OSHA violations have steadily increased since February 2020. As of Thursday, January 14, 2021, total initial penalties of these citations is $4,034,288. The highest number of complaints were received in the healthcare industry, followed by retail and foodservice.
For more information, visit www.osha.gov.