Major Expansion of Worker Safety, Whistleblower Rights, and OSHA Penalties
This Act significantly strengthens worker protection across the US, extending OSHA coverage to millions of state and local public employees. It drastically increases civil and criminal penalties for employers committing serious safety violations, while enhancing whistleblower protections and granting victims' families formal rights to participate in enforcement proceedings. These changes aim to foster a safer working environment and increase employer accountability.
Key points
OSHA coverage is expanded to include state and local government employees, ensuring federal safety standards apply to them.
Maximum civil penalties for willful violations increase tenfold (up to $700,000), and criminal penalties for violations causing death increase up to 10 years imprisonment.
Enhanced whistleblower protections: employees can refuse dangerous work and have 180 days to file retaliation complaints; these rights cannot be waived by arbitration agreements.
Victims (injured employees) and their families gain formal rights to information, participation in settlement talks, and legal proceedings following serious incidents or fatalities.
Employers must compensate employees for time spent participating in or aiding OSHA inspections, protecting them from wage loss.
Expired
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