Safety

Learning about the most common OSHA violations and how they are classified will help you adjust your business model to avoid expensive fines, increase employee safety, and decrease time lost from accidents and investigations.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) classifies violations of its safety rules and regulations into one of five categories:

• Serious Violations
• “Other Than” Serious Violation
• Willful Violations
• Repeated Violations
• Failure to Correct Prior Violations

Any of these violations can result in fines of up to $250,000 and possible disruption of your company’s operations. You can avoid these fines and disruptions by ensuring that your employees are properly trained in OSHA safety regulations.

Looking at a company’s safety failures can push your company forward in understanding what not to do when it comes to workplace safety.

A recent OSHA investigation determined that Ashley Furniture had endangered several thousand workers at its Arcadia, Wis., manufacturing facility. Since 1982, the agency has conducted 33 federal inspections and 23 state plan inspections of Ashley Furniture. The company disputes the allegations.