OSHA Penalties are Rising 80%: Is Your Machine Guarding Compliant?
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The last time the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) set the maximum civil penalties for violation of its workplace safety guidelines was way back in 1990 – but not for very long. Thanks to legislation enacted by Congress in November 2015, which required federal agencies to adjust their fines for inflation, August 1, 2016 will see an almost 80% increase in OSHA’s maximum penalties. In addition, penalties moving forward will be adjusted for inflation every year from 2016 on.
The increased fines apply to violations of any and all OSHA guidelines, including those for machine guarding in manufacturing and other industries. If you’re in an industry that’s subject to OSHA’s machine guarding standards, now’s the perfect time to perform a compliance audit before you face the brunt of the agency’s new fines (or worse, before someone gets injured on the job).
What are OSHA’s New Maximum Penalties for Violations?
As with OSHA’s old penalties, the new maximum fines taking effect on August 1, 2016 will be dependent on the severity of the violation.
| Type of Violation | Old Maximum Penalty | Penalty After August 1 |
|
Serious, Other-than-Serious |
$7,000 per violation | $12,471 per violation |
| Failure to Abate | $7,000 per violation | $12,471 per violation |
| Repeated or Willful | $70,000 per violation | $124,709 per violation |
Note that new fines will only be imposed if the cited violations occurred after November 2, 2015.
What Are OSHA’s Machine Guarding Standards?
Per OSHA’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Part Number 1910, employers are required to provide machine guarding “to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks.”
Specifics are available at OSHA’s website, but suffice it to say that any and all precautions should be taken to ensure worker safety when using fixed machines or hand tools.
Machine Guarding Solutions from mk North America
No matter what your machine guarding needs, mk North America can provide reliable, custom-engineered solutions thanks to the versatility of mk’s extruded aluminum framing.
mk’s machine guarding solutions are especially well-suited for stationary machines such as power presses, large milling machines, robotic devices, and others. Perimeter guards or protective fencing can easily be created using mk aluminum extrusions, keeping workers out of hazardous areas without proper safety equipment. Custom guarding solutions can also be affixed to machines themselves, protecting operators from dangerous points of action.
For environments where OSHA regulations would require workers be protected against excessive noise or harmful fumes, mk extrusions can also be utilized to create custom sound enclosures or fume hoods.
mk North America also provides support for engineering, design, and installation of its machine guarding systems.
Contact mk North America
To get in touch with mk North America about machine guarding solutions call (860) 769-5500 or fill out the form below.