OSHA Severe Violator Enforcement Program: 5 Things Employers Should Know
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), like many federal agencies, has finite resources for carrying out its essential functions. It simply isn’t feasible, nor efficient or effective, for OSHA regulators to visit every employer in the country. To address these limitations, OSHA introduced the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) in 2010 to target its efforts and resources to employers deemed more likely to violate workplace health and safety regulations. OSHA’s SVEP has received mixed feedback in the close to 15 years it has been in effect. Sometimes hailed by safety advocates for protecting workers against the worst of the worst, it’s also often denigrated by employers who feel the program’s focus on shame and severe penalties make it difficult recover and remain in business. 1. Why SVEP Was Created OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program was launched in June 2010 to replace the Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP), which was criticized he...