Ignoring safety rules--how should it be punished?

Every year about 100 workers die because of injuries resulting from willful indifference to workplace danger such as a safety device that was removed to speed up production or a worker who was denied protective gear.

Over the two decades ending in 2002, a total of 1,242 deaths or injuries were investigated by OSHA and found to be the result of willful violation of safety requirements. However, for 93 percent of these cases, OSHA decided not to seek prosecution. These cases included repeat offenders, violations that caused multiple deaths, and safety lapses that resulted in the death of teenagers.

At the corporate level, the ten largest businesses in the country accounted for 3,800 violations of safety regulations from 1982 to 2002, with an average fine of less than $500. Only 74 employers were prosecuted at the federal level, and only one employer spent jail time for an offense—for forty-five days.

OSHA’s budget has been cut, staff has been reduced, and the will to penalize employers for dangerous practices in the workplace seems to grow weaker year by year.

This is not an advocacy organization. We do not support legislation or urge readers to vote for or against political candidates or to call office holders to a greater level of accountability.

Is there anything we can do? What are your thoughts about prosecuting businesses that ignore safety regulations? Or do you see a problem at all?