A report from the AFLO-CIO finds the state should have tougher penalties for workplace safety violations. Spokesperson Zack Pohl tells WSJM News the average penalty for an OSHA violation is $763. He also says the state doesn’t have enough safety inspectors.
“Right now in Michigan, we only have about 56 workplace safety inspectors covering the whole state, and it would take those safety inspectors about 51 years to visit every workplace just one time, and that’s just not enough to keep workers here in Michigan safe.”
The AFL-CIO report finds there were 134 workplace fatalities in 2015. There were also 96,000 workplace-related injuries. Pohl tells us many workplace deaths are in manufacturing facilities and construction, while injuries as a result of assault at healthcare facilities are on the rise.
