Legal Focus

According to the General Duties Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), 29 U.S.C. § 654, each employer must furnish employees a place of employment free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause serious physical harm to employees. In the school bus industry that usually means protection from school bus violence. In January, 2017, OSHA fined a Pennsylvania psychiatric hospital $32,000 for exposing its employees to workplace violence caused by patients. Similarly, a Massachusetts psychiatric hospital was fined $207,690 in June, 2017, for continued failure to address repeated workplace violence after it was originally fined $9,000 in May of 2015. As you can see, failure to address school bus violence can result in serious citations and fines. This article discusses what school bus contractors need to know when it comes to avoiding OSHA citations and fines for workplace violence hazards.

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