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OSHA Enforcement Was Strong In 2005
During FY 2005, OSHA issued more willful violations during
than in any previous year, and conducted the most extensive
investigation of its kind which resulted in the largest penalty
ever — over $20 million. During FY2005, OSHA identified
615 inspections that qualified as Enhances Enforcement Program
(EEP) cases — a 200 percent increase over the preceding
year.
The objective of EEP is to assure sustained compliance at
these facilities. If an inspection is classified as an EEP,
then it may receive, among other things, follow-up inspections,
inspections of other workplaces of that employer, and more
stringent settlement provisions.
During FY2005, OSHA conducted 2,924 inspections within these
seven industries. Many of these inspections were a result
of Local Emphasis Programs (LEPs), which Area and Regional
offices develop to address specific hazards of their geographic
location. OSHA conducted 38,714 total inspections in 2005,
exceeding its goal of 37,700. Unprogrammed inspections showed
an increase over the previous fiscal year. OSHA responded
to more employee complaints and conducted more inspections
based on referrals from other agencies than the previous year.
Programmed inspections continue to focus on high hazard industries,
which have the highest lost-time injury rates.
Total recordable case rates continued their steady decline.
The rate for 2004 (the most recent data available) was the
lowest since the implementation of OSHA's revised recordkeeping
standard in 2002. The rate of fatal work injuries was 4.1
fatalities per 100,000 workers as compared to 4.0 fatalities
per 100,000 workers the previous year.
During the year, 85,307 violations of OSHA's standards and
regulations were found in the nation's workplaces; a 9.5 percent
increase since 2001. The number of willful violations increased
62 percent over FY2004. The increase in willful violations
shows that OSHA enforcement continues to be strong, identifying
employers who intentionally disregarded the law and ensuring
that employees are protected from serious hazards.
Plating Shop Supervisor Sent to Prison
for Abandoning Chemicals
A plating shop supervisor was sentenced in December to serve
13 months in prison, pay a $1,000 dollar fine, pay EPA restitution
of $151,000 for a Superfund cleanup, perform 300 hours of
community service, and serve three years of supervised release
once he completes his prison term. The defendant previously
pleaded guilty to abandoning hazardous chemicals at a former
electroplating facility. The defendant was a supervisor at
the facility.
According to the charges filed in the case, the facility
was condemned in late 2000. The facility contained a number
of chemicals and liquids in vats used in electroplating, including
acid solutions containing hexavalent chromium and hydrofluoric
acid. Hexavalent chromium and hydrofluoric acid are chemicals
that can cause serious health problems if individuals are
improperly exposed to them.
The case was investigated jointly by the EPA’s Criminal
Investigation Division and the Environmental Quality’s
Office of Criminal Investigations. It was prosecuted by the
U.S. Attorney’s office for that district. |