Connecticut
Department of Labor

Connecticut Department Of Labor

CONN-OSHA’s Alternative Approach to the Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP)

November 2022

In Connecticut, when any employer has a workplace which has been identified as a high hazard facility and one of the criteria below has been met, then the facility will be identified as a “Severe Violator”. 

  1. Fatality/Catastrophe Criterion: A fatality/catastrophe inspection where CONN-OSHA finds at least one willful or repeated or issues a failure to abate citation based on a serious violation directly related to an employee death, or to an incident causing three or more employee hospitalizations.
     
  2. Non-Fatality/Catastrophe Criterion: An inspection where CONN-OSHA finds at least two willful, repeated or failure to abate citations have been issued.
     
  3. Significant Case: When a CONN-OSHA inspection issues thirty or more citations classified as serious or greater to one location. NOTE: The number of citations are individually counted when they are grouped together in an inspection.

CONN-OSHA will remove an employer from the SVEP after three years from the date of receiving acceptable abatement verification.  To be eligible for removal, the employer must have:

A)           Abated all willful, repeat, failure to abate, or serious violations,

B)            Paid all final penalties,

C)            Followed and completed all applicable settlement provisions, and

D)           Have received one follow-up or referral CONN-OSHA Inspection.