With DuPont, OSHA’s tough talk falls faint

By Rena Steinzor, CHRON

Agency too quick to make deal with employers, offering weak penalties

Author of this op-ed argues that OSHA, in many cases, shrinks from charging willful violations and pursuing criminal prosecutions against companies. Instead, the agency works to clear cases quickly by cooperating with employers, according to the author.

As with many fatal industrial incidents, managers had ample warning that La Porte had very serious safety problems. Between 2007-2012, DuPont reported three toxic leaks, landing it at the top of a national list kept by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2007, thousands of people were required to shelter in place and two were injured when the plant released 325 pounds of highly corrosive oleum into the ambient air. OSHA assessed a grand total of $1,800 in penalties for that frightening incident … MORE