OSHA Continues Its Employer-Friendly Approach
Historically, whenever a Democratic President is in office, we see more regulations passed and a heavier emphasis on enforcement from OSHA. Whenever a Republican President is in office, we see less regulations passed and more emphasis on businesses partnering with OSHA. That trend has continued with the Trump Administration and has clearly been seen over the past few months.
In July, OSHA expanded its penalty reduction policy. Employers with 25 or fewer employees are now eligible for up to a 70% penalty reduction (this reduction was previously available for companies with 10 or fewer employees). Also, employers who have not had a willful, repeat, serious, or failure-to-abate violation in the past 5 years are now eligible for up to a 20% discount (this reduction was previously a 10% discount). Additionally, there is a new 15% penalty reduction for employers who immediately take steps to address or correct hazards during inspections.
The agency also recently announced an emphasis on publishing more “Letters of Interpretation” in order to make regulatory requirements clearer for companies to understand. So far this year, they have only published eight (8) such letters, so we will have to see how much this ramps up in the coming months. If you would like to see these letters, you can visit this link. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/interpretations
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