Maintaining a safe workplace is the best way to pass an OSHA inspection, but good recordkeeping and efficient follow-up are gold star practices.
Whether it’s in response to a reported severe injury, a worker complaint or simply random selection, forward-thinking employers should plan for a visit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Those that are not compliant with OSHA rules are subject to citations and hefty fines.
OSHA warns that notice of an inspection is unlikely, so when it comes to preparation, there’s no time like the present.
Here are some tips when faced with an OSHA inspection.
- Have a good attitude. An OSHA inspector’s report will include notes about the employer’s cooperativeness, so it’s key to assign an individual who will not act in an adversarial manner to meet with the inspector. An employee representative (such as a union labor leader) can also join the safety inspection.
- Document training. Collect and organize by date all documentation relating to your safety and training programs. Records detailing meeting attendance, participation and agendas are essential.
- Keep incident records. Ensure injury and illness records are up to date and go back at least five years.
- Assess your risk. Be prepared to show documentation of any hazard assessments (such as those regarding personal protective equipment) for at least the past five years. You want to show good faith in correcting hazards and maintaining a safe workplace.
- Have a disaster plan. Make available copies of current emergency action plans, injury and illness prevention programs, hazard communication programs, safety data sheets and chemical inventories. If you haven’t checked your written programs lately, now’s the time.
- Keep qualifications up to date. Have copies of current licensing and certification documents for equipment operators.
- Be an active participant. Any pictures or video taken by the inspector will not be shared with you, but you can (and should) document the inspection with your own pictures and ask questions of the inspector.
- Take notes and follow up. During the walk-through, the inspector may point out hazards in plain sight (such as cluttered exit areas or a missing handrail) even if it’s not part of the initial scope of the inspection. Employers should document such hazards and take corrective measures right away. If it’s something you can fix immediately (such as having an employee clear a blocked exit), do it while the inspection is in progress. At the end of the inspection, you can show the inspector that you’ve corrected the issue. Document the before and after. This shows good faith and a real interest in maintaining a safe workplace.
- Make employees available. Designate a place where the inspector can interview a random selection of employees. The interviews typically take only a few minutes and the employee may choose to have a supervisor or union representative present.
- Correct delinquencies. After the inspection, expect OSHA to follow up within a few weeks with a detailed report of findings. You must correct any issues that were found in the inspection and do everything you can to correct the safety hazards listed. Before the OSHA follow-up, collect evidence of any corrective measures you’ve already taken (such as adding a handrail or locating paperwork previously missing) to share during the follow-up.
- Look into free help from OSHA. Should action be required, you might want to ask about OSHA’s free consultation services during the follow-up. These services are normally offered to small and midsize businesses and can assist you with making corrections.
For more information
Your insurance professional is a good resource for information on additional risk management offerings (such as training or written program assistance) that may accompany your insurance policy. Contact OneGroup’s Risk Management team for more information on preparing for an OSHA safety audit.
This content is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing professional, financial, medical or legal advice. You should contact your licensed professional to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Please refer to your policy contract for any specific information or questions on applicability of coverage.
Please note coverage can not be bound or a claim reported without written acknowledgment from a OneGroup Representative.
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