N.C., S.C. easier on work safety (OSHA fines for violations were among nation's lowest)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/595568.html

Posted on Fri, Apr. 25, 2008

AFL-CIO says employer fines for violations were among nation's lowest
KERRY HALL AND AMES ALEXANDER
[email protected]

The Carolinas levied some of the nation's lowest penalties against employers who broke workplace safety laws last year, according to a report released Thursday by the AFL-CIO.

Workplace safety regulators assessed fines averaging $909 for serious violations in 2007, according to the report. In North Carolina, fines averaged $433. The S.C. average was $363 -- second-lowest behind Oregon.

The report, titled "Death on the Job," analyzed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's response to workplace injuries, illnesses and deaths. This is the 17th year the report has been issued by the AFL-CIO, an umbrella group for more than 50 labor unions.

"There is almost no consequence for employers who violate the law, even when workers are killed," AFL-CIO Safety Director Peg Seminario said in reference to the Carolinas.

The report corroborates similar findings by the Observer. In a February series outlining workplace hazards in the poultry industry, the Observer reported that OSHA fines in the Carolinas routinely were cut in half during negotiations with employers.

Fines nationally for serious violations in the poultry industry averaged $1,100 from 1997 to 2006, the Observer found. In North and South Carolina, those fines averaged about $500 and $300 respectively.

FULL story at link.