Court Opinion

ID: 9464377
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 23:31:37.968637+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:38:35.571604
License: Public Domain

FERGUSON, District Judge,
concurring:
I join in the court’s opinion, but wish to add a further observation. Todd has appealed from an order of the Commission assessing fines in the amount of $700, $350 and $350 for repeated violations of regulations promulgated pursuant to OSHA. Although Todd clearly has standing to raise its first and last objections — those based on reasonable promptness and the application of the flush manhole regulation — I question the propriety of its challenging “repeat violation” fines which do not exceed the $1000 limit applicable to both serious and nonserious violations under 29 U.S.C. § 666(b) and (c).
We are charged with reviewing the order of the Commission. The order is that Todd pay certain fines imposed as a result of OSHA violations. The Commission has authority to set such penalties within the statutory limits after considering the factors *1332set out in section 666(i). These factors were specifically considered by the administrative law judge who reduced the penalty assessed rather than imposing that initially proposed. The Commission affirmed his order. A reviewing court may upset such a determination only where the Commission’s discretion has been abused. Beall Construction Co. v. OSHRC, 507 F.2d 1041 (8th Cir. 1974).
Todd does not question the amount of the fines, and since the penalties imposed are .within the realm of discretion, and could not be disturbed if entered as a result of a citation designating the violation as “serious” or “nonserious” rather than “repeat,” I would find Todd without a cognizable injury arising from the labeling of the citations in question and would therefore reject its claim of error on. this ground in addition to concluding that repeat violations occurred in this case.