Additional Safety Professionals Needed Industry-wide to Protect Against Increased OSHA Penalties

A newly introduced bill in Wyoming would increase penalties for workplace violations under the state’s occupational safety and health program.

House Bill 0093, introduced earlier this month, would increase fines and civil penalties to the same amount currently proposed at the federal level as part of the Protecting America’s Workers Act (S. 1580).

Among the proposed changes:

• Increase willful violations to a minimum of $8,000 from $5,000, and a maximum of $120,000 from $70,000.
• Serious violations would be fined $12,000 instead of the current $7,000.

Any willful violation that results in the death of a worker would receive a penalty amount of no more than $250,000 and no less than $50,000.