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Employers warned of OSHA scam
By Shelia Watson
Contributing Writer
In the past few weeks, many employers have received threatening letters from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration outlining the consequences of a company’s failure to comply with OSHA regulations to post documents and posters in the workplace. The letter provides a form for ordering the posters so the company may remain in compliance.
The letters, however, are a scam.
The notices, which appear to be official documents and, in some cases, are imprinted with either the state’s logo or OSHA’s logo, are typically addressed to the personnel manager. The letters note that companies are required to post up-to-date OSHA posters and that failure to comply could result in fines ranging from $7,000 to $17,000.
One of the more strongly worded notices reads, “You must immediately comply with the new Compliance Requirements. Failure to do so may lead to government fines and/or employee lawsuits/audits for non-compliance.”
According to the Carolinas Association of General Contractors, these fraudulent letters are often given attention out of fear on the part of the company. As the agency charged with overseeing safety and health in the workplace, OSHA has the ability to close down a company for a wide range of infractions.
The Better Business Bureau urges companies to check with OSHA upon receiving any communications that include quotes from the agency.
Those who have received a fraudulent solicitation may contact OSHA at its corporate location or at one of its area offices.
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