The Indiana House on Wednesday unanimously approved amendments to a bill that would fine Indiana employers up to $132,598 for a worksite fatality stemming from workplace safety standard violations, according to the state’s legislative website.
The Senate unanimously passed H.B. 1341 on April 2.
The bill amends Indiana code on workplace safety, which stipulates fines of $7,000 to $70,000 for safety violations, to include a new section applying to employers who knowingly violate safety standards in accidents that result in death.
The first version of the bill, first read on Jan. 14, stipulated a fine of up to $100,000 for fatalities.
The latest draft upped the fine and provided more clarity on what would warrant a fine, stating: “An employer who knowingly violates any standard, rule, or order or this chapter, where any such violation can reasonably be determined to have contributed to an employee fatality, shall be assessed a civil penalty of not less than nine thousand four hundred seventy-two dollars ($9,472) for each violation and may be assessed a civil penalty of up to one hundred thirty-two thousand five hundred ninety-eight dollars ($132,598) for each violation.”
If signed by the governor, the bill would go into effect July 1, according to the bill digest.
This article was first published by Business Insurance.
