Department of Labor reduces penalties for safety violations

The U.S. Department of Labor announced rules allowing a 15% reduction in penalties for employers that immediately address or correct a workplace safety violation.

At the same time, the agency announced that the 70% penalty reduction that was once limited to employers with no more than 10 workers is being applied to businesses with up to 25 employees.

“All employers should be offered the opportunity to comply with regulations that help maintain a safe working environment,” Deputy Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling said in a statement. “Small employers who are working in good faith to comply with complex federal laws should not face the same penalties as large employers with abundant resources. By lowering penalties on small employers, we are supporting the entrepreneurs that drive our economy and giving them the tools they need to keep our workers safe and healthy on the job while keeping them accountable.”

The department also announced a new 20% reduction in citations assessed to an employer for violations uncovered during the latest inspection when that same company had been inspected at least once in the previous five years and was not cited for serious, willful or failure-to-abate violations.

The agency also declared its right not to apply penalty reductions “where penalty adjustments do not advance the goals of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”

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