Wyoming Lawmakers Consider $50K Fatal Accident Fines

Wyoming state legislators are discussing whether to require a $50,000 fine for any company where a safety violation causes the death of one of its workers.

The draft legislation heads before the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee in Cheyenne on Tuesday.

The proposal is a compromise between Democratic state Rep. Mary Throne of Cheyenne and Republican state Sen. Charles Scott of Casper.

The Casper Star-Tribune reports that Throne proposed basing fatal accident fines on a company’s size and safety record. Scott proposed an automatic $50,000 fine with no possibility of appeal.

The bill would set the fine at $50,000 but allow companies to appeal the penalty.

Fines imposed last year by the Wyoming Occupational Safety and Health Administration in fatal cases averaged $9,554.