When a Delaware employee goes to work, he or she has the right to a reasonable expectation of safety. There are regulations and laws in place that protect this right, including those mandated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. When an employer violates these standards, whether or not workplace injuries actually occur, workplace injuries occur, OSHA can enforce steep fines and other penalties against the company. However, there are times when an employer can actually negotiate these fines down.
In 2018, a foundry was fined after safety violations led to the death of a worker. This company has been cited by OSHA multiple times, and the fines it was supposed to pay amounted to $73,000. The foundry ultimately only ended up paying half of that amount after being able to negotiate the amount down. The reason some companies are able to do this is because OSHA is most concerned with businesses bringing their operations up to acceptable safety standards.
It can be costly to address safety issues cited by OSHA. For smaller companies, the ability to negotiate fines leaves them more money with which they can fix things, change practices and pay for important safety equipment. Despite these things and even in the safest of work environments, accidents and injuries still happen.
When workplace injuries happen, Delaware workers have options. Through a workers’ compensation claim, they can get help with medical bills, recoup some of their lost wages and more. As the claims process is time sensitive, it is helpful to move forward with the application as quickly as possible after a work accident.