Staggering Hike in OSHA Civil Penalties Is Here

On June 30, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued an interim final rule to implement the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Improvements Act, passed last fall as part of the highly publicized bipartisan budget deal negotiated between the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House. Employers have a short window—until August 15—to submit comments on the penalty increase rule.  In an Aug. 3 blog, attorneys Eric Conn, Amanda Strainis-Walker and Bryan Carey, of Conn Maciel Carey, a firm that represents employers, note that the three OSHA memos followed the Supreme Court’s ruling.