“With the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” –OSHA’s Mission Statement
OSHA Has Been Raising Safety Awareness across the Nation
Ever since OSHA was established in 1970, the American workplace has seen major changes. Workplace fatalities have been reduced by more than 65 percent and occupational injury and illness rates have declined by 67 percent.
At the same time, U.S. employment has almost doubled. There is no question that OSHA’s impact has been significant and successful. In 2013, federal OSHA inspected 39,228 sites while the 18 states with individual state plans conducted 50,436 inspections, making a total of 89,664. A heavy majority of these companies received citations, which means that they were not compliant with OSHA’s regulations and that the workplaces were unsafe during these visits.
Third Party Safety Consultants Make a Difference
Third-party safety consulting companies, such as Lancaster Safety, play a major role in increasing the safety & health of workplaces across the nation. They work with you to make your company aware of OSHA’s regulations and to help your company become OSHA compliant before OSHA conducts an inspection.
Using a Third-Party Safety Consultant Shows Operating in “Good Faith”
Contrary to popular belief, OSHA is not out to get you. Compliance officers have the employees’ best interest in mind, and they love to see companies who are taking all of the proper steps to make sure that their employees return home from work safely each day.
When OSHA sees a company who is working hand in hand with a third-party consulting company, it shows that a good faith effort is being put forth towards improving the safety of your employees.
Discounts Available for Using a Third-Party Safety Consultant
OSHA understands that there are a lot of business owners out there that do not have a safety background. Reaching out to a third party consulting company shows OSHA that the company officials place safety as a high priority, and OSHA will often give employers a discount off their OSHA fines for showing a “good faith effort”.
Third party consulting companies offer many services such as training, auditing, providing corrective solutions, developing company specific written programs, and maintaining clients’ records. All of these services contribute to OSHA’s overall mission to create a safer workplace in America.
Having a world class safety program does not happen overnight. Third party safety consulting agencies are there to help your company develop, implement, and maintain your company’s safety program according to OSHA’s rules and regulations. If you feel like your safety program isn’t up to speed, contact Lancaster Safety today so we can help.
Source: Occupational Safety & Health Administration, “Commonly Used Statistics” website. Accessed November 24, 2015.