Effective January 16th, 2024, there will be a new set of numbers.
$161,323 and $16,131. These aren’t power ball numbers but enough of these citations will have you paying mega millions. OSHA’s penalty for serious and other-than-serious violations will increase from $13,653 per violation to $14,502 per violation this year. The penalty for willful or repeated violations will increase from $136,532 per violation to $145,027 per violation this year. These numbers are set forth by The U.S. Department of Labor and are effective January 16th, 2024.
Here are a few ways to keep you and company safe:
- Training
They say you must spend money to earn money. But spending money is also a part of safety prevention. Classroom time is essential for employee safety. This allows employees to take the classroom to the field and apply their knowledge. Not only does it allow safe work practices, but it teaches employees the standard and how to do things the correct way. There have been plenty of citations given out for safety violations, but these can be avoided by providing the proper training. Trained employees who bring safe work practices to their jobs; means lower workers comp rates, and a better Experience Modification Rate (EMR). Here at MSC Safety Solutions we offer a variety of training that promotes the health and safety of your workers.
- Documentation
Paperwork? We all love paperwork, right? What if I told you that during all my walks with OSHA, they’ve asked for documentation. For example, a JSA (Job Safety Analysis) is something that should be done prior to beginning work. This allows crews to huddle up, identify hazards and take corrective action to control or eliminate those hazards. Being a controlling contractor and having subs that complete JSA’s will highly reduce the chance of you getting a citation in case of an injury. If a fire were to happen would your employees know what to do? Have they trained on the Emergency Action Plan? If an employee fell off an edge, suspended in the air would your employees know what to do? Have they executed the Fall Rescue Plan prior? MSC Safety Solutions works with companies to ensure their documentation meets safety standards by conducting monthly site inspections and training.
- Equipment
Before using any type of equipment, especially personal protective equipment. You’ll want to make sure that your equipment has no defects. All equipment shall be inspected prior to use to assess the integrity of the equipment. This ranges from ladders, fall protection equipment, hardhats, aerial lifts and so forth. Inspecting allows you to find any hazard associated with your piece of equipment much like a JSA. Using equipment with tears, chemical burns, abrasion, dents are all hazards and can be cited by OSHA. Inspecting, prior to using or operating will be key to injury prevention.
- Conclusion
New year let’s start off on the right foot and end on the right foot. Training, documentation, inspecting are all key in preventing injuries and citations.
Here at MSC, we provide training to help meet every company’s safety goal and mandatory obligations. Please contact us to learn more about our specialized training courses, as well as safety consulting. Our team of safety professionals are dedicated to delivering the best results for the overall health and safety of your company.
