I think that the sun has lost sight of the goal here. The goal here is to prevent falls, period! That is why OSHA allows for the exemption of nets or decking when fall arrest systems are used. Falling into a net or a fully decked level is not going to prevent injury. Falling into decking from a distance of 15 feet or more will be fatal, no doubt in my mind. In 2006, 30% of all fatal falls were from heights less than 10 feet. The only way to truly protect the employees is by eliminating the fall completely. Fall arrest or restraint systems are the most effective way to prevent fall injuries, when used correctly. The greatest issue here is training the employees in proper use and ensuring that it is used every time it is applicable.

how many osha inspectors do you think there are?
Let me fill you in on a couple of things. Twenty or so in the State of Nevada, 1400 nationwide. The key here is for employers to follow the established regulations that protect employees.
The death at city center saturday apparently happened on a mobile crane. The regulations specifically require a controlled access zone around a crane in operation.
The problem is that employees will take short cuts to get a job done quickly. Compare it to driving a car, do we all follow the speed limit all the time. My point is we all know the rules are there, but we don't follow them.

JJ... Thats a big statement. Why don't you say a few names and we can weed out the bad apples. Or are you shooting from the hip? I agree about the corrupt angle but I believe that issue lies in the administration. I can state for fact that bribes are not a frequent occurence at the inspector level. And if it were, what would it matter? The administration backs out of substantially significant penalties often and the employers know that a contest of the citations will gain them reduced penalties. Bribes would be a waste if time from the employers point of view. And believe me, working for the state is not the high life. State wages are not competative with private industry and state benefits are getting reduced nearly annually. In many cases it makes more sense to take what is learned about the states OSHA program after three or four years as an inspector and market yourself in private industry.

As I said in my previous posting, "With all due respect." And, you are absolutely right, the companies are paying the fines and continue to due the least amount possible in the safety realm, in many cases. To reiterate, tune up the enforcement system as it is now. The protocols for Nevada OSHA have many differrent routes to develop citations and the fines associated with the citations. Depending on circumstances and exposures, fines can be quite costly. The real question is why the administration does not back the efforts of the compliance officers, or the citations that the officers initially present.

Are higher fines really going to change anything? It has been my experience that an employer can provide training, materials and incentives and the employees will continue to cut corners and endanger themselves. With all due respect for the families of the victims of the construction fatalities, lets compare apples to oranges. Lets develop fines for those employees that are found to be in obvious misconduct from their employers safety policies. I mean, since we're in the mood to increase fines and citations. How many people working in construction will still be working there if they are eligible for a $7000.00 fine when they don't follow the rules. Oh, lets concider the affect the increase in fines will have on the local mom-n-pop businesses. Yup, run them right out of business with one or two serious violations. The real questions here is why Nevada's legal representation for the Department of Business and Industry is unwilling to pursue willful violations. We should focus on improving the process as it exists today (get rid of corrupt officials, start pursuing willful violations, etc...) And never forget the fact that OSHA has to treat businesses the same way the Department of Public Safety treats people... innocent till proven guilty.