OSHA rolls out aggressive enforcement push targeting 'high-gravity' safety violations.

OSHA just raised the stakes for employers that repeatedly tolerate or encourage dangerous conditions on job sites. Enforcement guidance issued Jan. 26 grants OSHA regional administrators and directors greater authority to issue immediate citations when inspectors identify particularly hazardous safety violations.

An OSHA statement said "instance-by-instance" citations may now be handed down for "high-gravity" serious violations of OSHA standards involving lockout/tagout procedures, machine guarding, permit-required confined spaces, respiratory protection, falls, trenching and some recordkeeping cases.

The guidance, which takes effect March 27, takes aim at employers in the industrial, agricultural, maritime and construction sectors. Instance-by-instance citations stand alone--that is, they can't be bundled with other citations and then negotiated away during settlement talks with OSHA.

OSHA's statement said spot citations can be issued in cases when an employer has received notice of willful or...