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OSHA has released its 2023 Safety Violations maximum civil penalties, adjusted for inflation. Below are the new maximum OSHA Citation penalty amounts, effective as of January 12. The increases are 7.7% over last year's penalty rates, based upon the current Consumer Price Index (CPI):
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Type of Violation
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Maximum OSHA Penalty – 2023
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Serious
Other than Serious
Posting Requirements
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$15,625 per violation
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Failure to Abate
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$15.625 per day beyond the abatement date
(typically capped at 30 days)
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Willful or Repeated
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$156,259 per violation
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This is a reminder that establishments' annual workplace OSHA 300A Summary form/information covering 2022 must be posted from Feb. 1 to May 1 for employee review. The information must then be retained on file for five years per OSHA regulations.
Additionally, March 2, 2023 is the deadline for select employers to electronically report their annual OSHA Form 300A data (for the prior calendar year covered by the form), through the OSHA online Injury Tracking Application (ITA) portal.
This February marks the 59th annual American Heart Month. Join the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, The Heart Truth, and organizations around the country as they raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, by participating in National Wear Red Day on Friday, Feb. 3rd.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides several facts about heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States:
- One person dies every 34 seconds in the country from cardiovascular disease.
- About 697,000 people in the United States die from heart disease each year, equaling one in every 5 deaths.
- Heart disease costs the United States an estimated $229 billion each year including health care services, medicine, and lost productivity due to death.
Learn more about heart disease and risk factors on the CDC's website; you can also find more resources at the American Heart Association.
A Good Time to Refresh CPR/AED Training
As recently illustrated by the Monday Night Football incident in which Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field and was successfully aided through CPR, Heart Month is an opportunity to raise awareness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED), and the importance of refreshing your CPR/AED training.
Almost all employers are required to have an OSHA mandated Emergency Action Plan (EAP) with required annual refresher training. HR Daily Advisor recently summarized several tips regarding EAPs.
Sudden Cardiac Arrest: Commotio Cordis
Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) remains an ongoing concern for athletes at all levels and ages. SCA is caused by an abnormality in the heart’s electrical system and or structure. It is the leading cause of death on school campuses, and the leading killer of student-athletes. It is estimated that about 300 youths unknowingly have an underlying undetected heart condition. Learn more about SCA at:
Additional First Aid/CPR/AED training and guidance is available at:
The week of February 5th is National Burn Awareness Week. The week seeks to raise awareness of burn, fire, life safety, and first-aid education and prevention. This year's theme is Hot Liquids Burn Like Fire! The theme provides an opportunity to review National Fire Protection Association safety recommendations for the home, kitchen, and proper fire extinguisher use.
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Nationwide Insurance has been collaborating with industry leaders and agricultural professionals since 2014 to promote Grain Bin Safety Week. Held the third full week each February, the week spotlights the dangers of working in and around grain bins, as well as the importance of following safe work procedures. The week is a precursor to the five-year OSHA alliance with the grain industry and its Stand Up for Grain Safety Week, held the last full week of March. Both events coincide with grain bin inventories being seasonally emptied, and bins cleaned out in anticipation for next season's crops.
Nationwide Insurance also partners with agricultural safety and training organizations to award emergency first responders with grain rescue tubes and hands-on rescue training equipment for local fire departments. The Nominate Your Fire Department Contest runs from Jan. 1 through Apr. 30.
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Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) often leads to blindness, which is why Prevent Blindness has declared February as AMD and Low Vision Awareness Month.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, AMD is a leading cause of vision loss in people 50 years or older, and more than 2.9 million Americans age 40 and older have low vision that is not correctable through eye glasses, surgery or other intervention. The most common form of AMD is "dry," which usually progresses slowly.
Looking ahead to March, severe weather topics like tornados safety, severe thunderstorms, lightning safety, and emergency action plans (EAP) and drills are on the docket. March is also Ladder Safety Month. The OSHA Alliance with the GrainSafety.org also promotes their 'Stand Up for Grain Safety Week', as noted above. More to follow.
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