Top Three Reasons To Stay on OSHA’s Good Side

In one of his Dirty Job’s episodes, host and itinerant worker Mike Rowe featured a collage of episode snippets that prompted the eventual Dirty Job’s motto of “Safety Third”. He went on to explain that the motto was not intended to mean that safety should be relegated to a lesser importance than anything else, but that it should always be on your mind somewhere. For this reason, OSHA was created and given broad authority to ensure that workers in the United States were protected in some way, shape, or form from potentially life threatening working conditions.

Unfortunately for a lot of businesses, especially contractors, adhering strictly to OSHA regulations can be hindering and sometimes even prevent the work from being completed. OSHA understands this and, for the most part, turns a partially blind eye to small, daily infractions. However, when a business repeatedly ignores some of the more important regulations, the organization will step in. Although OSHA itself cannot shut you down, it does have a small variety of options to enforce regulations. These can range from massive fines to eventual legal issues that might delay a project for an indeterminate amount of time. With that in mind, here are the top 3 reasons to stay on OSHA’s good side.

• Fines- If an OSHA inspector does find something amiss on your job site, more than likely, you will get a simple warning. However, if you ignore the warning and continue to work unsafely, OSHA has the power to issue fines that may become ruinous to a company. Ranging from $5,000 to $70,000 per employee in the area of risk, these assessments may potentially bankrupt you. Recently, a roofer in Florida was hit with nearly $200,000 in fines for repeated violations and will probably spend the next 10 years trying to it off.
• Court Action- Although OSHA cannot shut a business down on the spot (contrary to popular belief), it does have a direct line to the legal system and judges that do wield that kind of power. If the safety infraction is severe enough, OSHA will take the matter directly to a judge who may issue a cease-and-desist order; effectively stopping work indefinitely until the safety issue is corrected. This may mean that work stops for as little as a day or so. It may also mean several weeks of inactivity depending on what actions need to be taken. However, once the problem is fixed, work can continue.
• Safety is Important-OSHA was originally created in 1970 to fight against rising workplace injuries and fatalities in the 60’s and although many contractors have the underlying feeling that it is just there to be a pain in the posterior, the organization is sometimes the last line of defense for workers in hazardous situations. OSHA understands that you need to get the job done and often overlooks the small stuff. What it won’t ignore, however, is working practices that may create a life-threatening situation for your employees. There have been many instances since its creation where lives have been saved or injuries prevented because of OSHA regulations; injuries that may have led to high priced lawsuits.

Most contractors work with OSHA to make sure that their jobs are completed in a timely and safe manner. Regulations are generally easy to work with or have provisions for small variations that will still let you work. However, if OSHA does take notice, then there is a problem that needs to be fixed and you, as the business owner, will need to take responsibility. If not, then you may end up facing OSHA’s wrath, eventually ending with you losing money somehow.

By staying on OSHA’s good side, you will be able to not only keep money in your pocket, but your employees will know that you do care about their safety and be just that little bit more loyal; a win-win situation for everyone.