Get Inspected by OSHA With Confidence

Get Inspected by OSHA With Confidence

Everyone has heard the cliché that the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) does not leave an inspection empty-handed. If they show up conduct an inspection, they’ll find at least one violation, if not several. As safety consultants, Lancaster Safety Consulting, Inc. (LSCI) knows that this is simply not true. So how is a citation-free inspection possible and how can your company “survive an OSHA inspection”?

World Class Safety Program

First, the most effective and recommended method to “survive an OSHA inspection” is to have a great safety program. Written policies, employee training, documentation, self-inspections, and an effective disciplinary policy are a few of the key elements. While you don’t have to be perfect, you do have to have the basics nailed down.

When the Employees Don’t Listen

What happens when you do your best and employees still break the rules, and at the worst time, when OSHA is watching from across the street!? This situation is not uncommon, and recently happened to one of our clients! The employer used one of OSHA’s ‘affirmative defenses,’ employee misconduct. Essentially, they proved the following elements:

1. The employee was trained in fall protection and other necessary safety topics.
2. The company had a written fall protection program in place as well as other safety
policies to clearly outline what their rules and requirements are.
3. They do enforce their safety program through a documented disciplinary action plan.
4. They conduct and document regular job-site inspections.

Once all of this information was provided to the compliance officer, he didn’t even bother issuing citations. He knew that if they tried, the company would contest and ultimately be able to prove that this incident was unpreventable employee misconduct.

Becoming OSHA Compliant

For some companies this is quite a laundry list, especially for small contractors that can’t afford to hire a full time safety director. Lancaster Safety can make it easy for you, bringing you up to speed in the most cost effective, time efficient manner possible. We’ve assisted our clients with hundreds of OSHA inspections over the years and have many success stories just like this one. Call us today and we’ll show you how your company can be next!