Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
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3.. Penalties.for.the.employer's.citations
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4.. The.lack.of.penalties
Two.items.can.be.challenged.by.workers.:
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1.. The.time.element.in.the.citation.for.abatement.of.the.hazard
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2.. An. employer's. Petition. for. Modiication. of. Abatement. (PMA);. workers.
have.10.days.to.contest.the.PMA
determInIng PenAltIes
Penalties.are.usually.based.on.four.criteria:
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1.. The.seriousness.or.gravity.of.the.alleged.violations
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2.. The.size.of.the.business
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3.. The. employer's. good. faith. in. genuinely. and. effectively. trying. to. comply.
with.the.OSHAct.before.the.inspection.and.effort.to.abate.and.comply.with.
the.law.during.and.after.the.inspection
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4.. The.employer's.history.of.previous.violations
stAte ProgrAms
Some.states.elect.to.enforce.occupational.safety.and.health.themselves..They.must.
develop.a.program.that.OSHA.will.review.and.approve..Approximately.twenty-three.
states.have.such.programs.(see.Appendix.E.for.a.list.and.addresses.for.state.plans)..If.a.
state.has.a.state.plan.(program).that.is.approved,.the.following.conditions.must exist:
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1.. The.state.must.create.an.agency.to.carry.out.the.plan.
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2.. The.state's.plan.must.include.safety.and.health.standards.and.regulations..The.
enforcement.of.these.standards.must.be.at.least.as.effective.as.the.federal.plan.
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3.. The.state.plan.must.include.provisions.for.the.right.of.entry.and.inspection.
of.the.workplace,.including.a.prohibition.on.advance.notice.of.inspections.
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4.. The.state's.plan.must.also.cover.state.and.local.government.employees.
If.a.state.has.speciic.standards.or.regulations,.they.must.be.at.least.as.stringent.
as.the.federal.standards.and.regulations..Some.states.have.standards.and.regulations.
that.go.beyond.the.requirements.of.the.existing.federal.standards.and.regulations.
Workers' trAInIng
Many. standards. promulgated. by. OSHA. speciically. require. the. employer. to. train.
employees. in. the. safety. and. health. aspects. of. their. jobs.. Other. OSHA. standards.
make.it.the.employer's.responsibility.to.limit.certain.job.assignments.to.employees.
who.are.“certiied,”.“competent,”.or.“qualiied”.(meaning.that.they.have.had.special.
previous. training,. in. or. out. of. the. workplace).. OSHA's. regulations. imply. that. an.
employer.has.assured.that.a.worker.has.been.trained.prior.to.being.designated.as.the.
individual.to.perform.that.task).
