Criminal Prosecution for Worker Safety Violations

    Enacting meaningful criminal penalties for worker safety violations is urged by former Justice Department prosecutor David M. Uhlmann in an op-ed column, "The Working Wounded," in the New York Times.  Mr. Uhlmann reports some disturbing statistics and information: an employer that violates a worker safety rule and kills an employee faces only 6 months in jail under the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA); if the employee is maimed and disabled the maximum penalty is up to a $70,000 fine; and since 1970 only 68 cases have been prosecuted under OSHA, although approximately 341,000 people have died at work. 

Robert L. Abell
www.RobertAbellLaw.com