OSHA

Definition

The federal workplace safety regulator, and the rules it enforces.

Why It Matters

For a trades or manufacturing business it is a live liability, not paperwork: citation history transfers with the operation in practical terms, and an open case is something to find before closing. Ask for the 300 log, any citations from the last five years, and the written safety programs the standards require. A business with no recordable injuries and no written program is not compliant, it is lucky.

In numbers: Serious violation penalties run to roughly $16,550 per violation and wilful or repeat ones to about $165,500, which is a real number against a business earning $500,000.