OSHA may be known as the safety watchdog, but the agency also gives credit where credit is due. Whether a company complies or violates, OSHA does its job by making sure that safety is upheld in any industry as well as in every way possible.

A Wal-Mart employee’s death in Long Island last year led the federal OSHA to cite Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for inadequate crowd management. The tragic incident occurred when a crowd of post-Thanksgiving shoppers went out of control and broke down the store’s doors—trapping and crushing 34-year-old Jdimytai Damour. Other people were also said to be injured from the accident. The citation on the world’s largest retailing company can lead to a fine of 7,000 US Dollars, if they fail to respond on the allegations within a period set by the regional OSHA. If only Wal-Mart effectively planned and implemented their safety measures for the post-Thanksgiving Day shopping rush, then such accidents could have been prevented and lives would have been saved.

On the other hand, an air force base in Massachusetts passed OSHA’s site inspection this month with—truly—flying colors. After exceeding OSHA’s safety standards and requirements, Hanscom’s Voluntary Protection Program became qualified to earn a VPP Star certification by the agency. Bob Sands, OSHA’s Region 1 VPP manager, only has the best remarks for Hanscom and its commitment to VPP and to safety. The 66th Air Base Wing’s commander, Colonel Dave Orr, is thankful for this commendation from the regional OSHA, saying that it has also been a learning and a progressive experience for them. Hanscom will be the first Air Force installation to become a VPP Star certified site once OSHA’s Assistant Secretary gives the final approval on the certification.

We hope that we all can learn from these two cases and that we will all endeavor towards a safer workplace for everyone—whether OSHA is on our case or not.