# osha



## stucco100 (Feb 3, 2011)

anyone have any experience with osha fines. What happens if you can not repay them or keep up with their payments? live in pa


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

Call and talk to them.
Explain your predicament. Did you go through mitigation?
Whatever you do don't pretend it will just go away.


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

They have a whipping post in the courtyard...

It used to be one whack for every dollar you didn't wanna pay.

I don't know, maybe things have changed. I'm probably not the best one to give an educated answer.


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## stucco100 (Feb 3, 2011)

yeah i had informal conference with them. They reduced fine from 30000 to about 18000. the fine are high because it was repeat offence and they do not seem to give small company discounts anymore. i've had fines in the past of a few thousand and paid them but i do not know if i can keep up with these payment in this economy. i have a small company with couple of employees. the fines seem to be extremely high.


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## Gough (May 1, 2010)

stucco100 said:


> yeah i had informal conference with them. They reduced fine from 30000 to about 18000. the fine are high because it was repeat offence and they do not seem to give small company discounts anymore. i've had fines in the past of a few thousand and paid them but i do not know if i can keep up with these payment in this economy. i have a small company with couple of employees. the fines seem to be extremely high.


Woof. If you don't mind me asking, what did they ding you for?


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## stucco100 (Feb 3, 2011)

fall protection, not enough planks and not having a ladder for access to scaffold was a $ 8400.00 by itself.


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

Why not follow the rules?

It might avoid getting fined again.


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## stucco100 (Feb 3, 2011)

thanks man. do you happen to know any other losers that spend there days on these forum making dumb remarks?


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Well you've been caught more than once. My suggestion would be to follow their rules especially since they will know be paying close attention to you.


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

stucco100 said:


> thanks man. do you happen to know any other losers that spend there days on these forum making dumb remarks?



Yeah, there called repeat OSHA offenders. Ya know the ones that get cited so many times they have to stay home cause their not allowed on the job site?

I find it incredible that you could have that many violations for basic safety requirements?

In all seriousness, joking aside....WHY did you not learn your lesson the first time? Or if it wasn't you personally, why did you allow your employees to continue working unsafely, or continue working at all?

You need to do one of three things going forward to avoid this:

*1.* FOLLOW THE LAWS
*2.* Get out of contracting
*3.* Hire a safety manger to oversee the management and implementation of your company's safety procedures.
_ *3a.*_ In this case, I'd hire an outside safety company or consultant to create a safety program for your company to be followed to the letter by everyone on site. It should be distributed to all existing employees, given to all new hires, and given to the GC prior to the project beginning to show that not only do you have one, but your proactive in keeping a safe work environment 

Not only is it a VITAL work habit, but it makes business sense as there are insurance discounts and it will keep your WC way down.


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## 3bar (Jan 14, 2011)

you do stucco? you're exposed to osha all the time. either you gotta do what they want, or you can get dinged. 
or you could make all your employees, partners. :whistling


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## [email protected] (Jan 10, 2010)

They can throw you in jail if you push them far enough. Thell take everything you own, take your credit, take your license.

Everyone gets fined, ONCE. If you dont learn your first fine for fall protection your a fool. Fall protection and scaffold erection are what they really focus on because of the amount and serious nature of accidents related to fall from height.
Ive gotten nail for fall protection, My guy had harness on life line sitting beside him but decided not to click in. The inspector was in the woods and took pics. He explained everything that happened and gave me the ticket. I fired the guy on the spot. I have a zero tolerance for safety violations even though I only run between 3 and 18 guys. 
I have a safety meeting every Monday and every new employee gets a safety brief and signs that he received and understand the guidelines and will follow them. If someone is caught by me violating safety guidelines there warned ONCE. If its something like a pinned guard or blatant disregard there terminated right then. I dont care if there your best guy, if they cant follow simple safety rules what else are they shortcutting because they do not have your best interest in mind.
Some things might be inconvenient but if I'm paying you you better follow my rules.


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## greg24k (May 19, 2007)

Tell them in a frantic manner that you can taste the steel and if you don't drop the fine I will ..................... Good luck


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## ApgarNJ (Apr 16, 2006)

stucco100 said:


> thanks man. do you happen to know any other losers that spend there days on these forum making dumb remarks?


The only dumb part is you doing things over and over again, getting fined, then complaining that you can't pay the fines because they are getting too high.


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## PlumbersSanJose (Apr 16, 2011)

Definitely communicate and document your conversations so you can put together a time line later if you need to. Acknowledge that you agree to pay but are unable. Ask for help.


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## copperhead5641 (Sep 10, 2012)

If you follow all of their stupid rules you would loose half the day setting up! Give me a brake, the working man has it hard enough without these idiots slapping heavy fines on us "in the name of safty" yeah right! Do you really think it's about your safty, it's about how much money they can extort from us peasants! IT'S TIME FOR A REVOLT!!!!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

I think the ladder to the scaffold is absolutely ridiculous. I never have and never will


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## Sprtman (Aug 16, 2010)

copperhead5641 said:


> If you follow all of their stupid rules you would loose half the day setting up! Give me a brake, the working man has it hard enough without these idiots slapping heavy fines on us "in the name of safty" yeah right! Do you really think it's about your safty, it's about how much money they can extort from us peasants! IT'S TIME FOR A REVOLT!!!!
> ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!


Totally Agree. The government needs to cut the **** out of OSHA.
It's definitely a place where we could cut the fat, or just get rid of it all together. Osha is the problem, not the solution.


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## bdonahue (Sep 11, 2012)

Dumb and dummer.... I saw that movie.... Did anyone else.....

Sorry, I have nothing to contribute here...


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## bdonahue (Sep 11, 2012)

Tell em' that if your employees fall, they are fired before they hit the ground. Stupid is as stupid does!!! I am absolutely sure that the Judge will agree.


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