Get Started: OSHA penalties rising nearly 80 percent Aug. 1

OSHA PENALTIES INCREASING

Businesses that are found in violation of federal occupational safety and health laws will pay more in penalties starting Aug. 1.

Under a law passed by Congress last year, penalties that were last adjusted in 1990 are going up nearly 80 percent to account for inflation. The maximum penalty a company must pay per violation is rising to $12,471 from $7,000. If a company fails to correct a violation, it will face a maximum penalty of $12,471 per day as well, also up from $7,000.

If a company is found to have willfully or repeatedly violated occupational safety and health laws, it can be face a maximum penalty of $124,709 per violation, up from $70,000.

The penalties will now be adjusted annually for inflation. Learn more at the website for the Occupational Health and Safety Administration: www.osha.gov

GETTING R&D WORK FROM THE GOVERNMENT

The Small Business Administration is offering free online tutorials to companies that want to develop technological products for the government — products that the companies may eventually be able to profit from. The tutorials will help companies interested in applying to the Small Business Innovation Research program.

Under the SBIR, companies apply to be part of projects that meet the government’s research needs. If they are accepted, they receive funding so they can develop products for the government. Eleven federal agencies including the Defense Department and the Department of Health and Human Services take part in the SBIR program.

In some cases, a small business that has been successful in developing a program will be able to market it to the private sector.

The SBA tutorials include 10 courses, with topics that include basic information about the SBIR program, registration requirements for doing business with the government and information about the federal agencies that participate. The tutorials can be taken at any time, and can be accessed on the SBA website, www.sbir.gov/tutorials .

NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK

Many small business owners who want to increase their business swear by networking. SCORE, which offers free counseling for small businesses, is sponsoring an online seminar about making networking more effective. It will be held Thursday, Aug. 4 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Learn more and register at http://tinyurl.com/h6fefqm

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Follow Joyce Rosenberg at www.twitter.com/JoyceMRosenberg . Her work can be found here: http://bigstory.ap.org/content/joyce-m-rosenberg