Dr. David Michaels (Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) recently stated that he wants to push for Criminal Penalties in cases of employer negligence of employee safety. Given the context of the quote, it is inferred that he wishes for ‘the powers that be’ at BP to face charges.
“It’s an unfortunate fact that monetary penalties just aren’t enough. We believe that nothing focuses the mind like the threat of doing time in prison, which is why we need criminal penalties for employers who are determined to gamble with their workers’ lives and consider it merely a cost of doing business when a worker dies on the job.”
- Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor (OSHA)
We want to know what you think, given the information we have at this point, do you feel somebody at BP needs to face Criminal Penalties?
Sound off in the comments section or by sending us an email, info@safetyservicescompany.com
Source : OHSOnline.com
If an investigation reveals intentional/known safety violations that lead to the deaths, there should be criminal accountability. Employers should pay close attention to this case and have policies in place to ensure that leaders organizational-wide are held accountable for their decisions on a daily basis.
If an “investigation” determines that intentional safety violations occurred, there should be accountability. There should not be the need for deaths to stipulate accountability. “Willful negligence” by management should not need to have a fatality associated with the fact that an employer ignored OSHA safety regulations and industry standard practice.
Safety is a daily practice. It should not be a reaction or a web page proclamation.