Employer violations of environmental laws draw much heavier penalties than those currently imposed under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. That's the message from OSHA in its effort to gain support for passage of the Protecting America's Workers Act.

The act, if adopted by lawmakers, would strengthen OSHA violation penalties.

To make the point that current OSHA fines are too weak to persuade those employers that ignore workplace hazards a recent OSHA press release describes a 2001 accident in which a tank of acid exploded at a Delaware oil refinery. The accident killed employee Jeff Davis, resulting in a $175,000 fine.

“Yet in the same incident, thousands of dead fish and crabs were discovered, allowing an Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act citation of $10 million,“ the press release states.

OSHA's press release took its wording from testimony David Michaels, assistant secretary for OSHA, recently delivered before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. Mr. Michaels' testimony is available here.

In other news, a Walmart employee suffering from cancer was reportedly fired for his pot use for which he had a prescription under Michigan's medical marijuana law.

According to news reports Walmart learned of his pot use during a drug screening following a work-related accident. As Comp Time has reported before, employers' work comp and safety practices are increasingly likely to clash with medical marijuana laws being adopted in more states.

As shown in the video below, the decision to fire the Walmart employee drew demonstrators to the Walmart store where he worked.

I will be speaking on a related topic at the Self-Insurance Institute of America Inc. Workers Compensation Executive Forum to be held in New Orleans May 11-13. I will discuss how work comp claims decisions can draw unfavorable attention to corporate brands. More information on the conference is available here.

On another subject, Joe Paduda at Managed Care Matters blogged again on North Dakota's criminal prosecution of Sandy Blunt, the former CEO of the state's work comp fund. Joe has consistently written about Mr. Blunt's innocence and misconduct in his prosecution.

Joe's postings are always worth a read, but this one is particularly interesting. It's available here.