With the “New OSHA” stepping up enforcement, it is important for companies to know what to expect when an inspector arrives at the premises and to understand what they can and cannot do during an inspection.
I recently published an article in the Employers Workers Comp Alert about this subject, which is now posted on our web site. The article provides five key tips:
- Companies should have a manager designated in advance to represent it during an OSHA inspection.
- Companies should take advantage of the opening conference, which typically occurs right after an inspector arrives, to discuss what will happen during the inspection and understand its scope.
- The company representative should always accompany the OSHA inspector during the walk-around inspection.
- Inform non-supervisory workers that they have the right to speak or not to speak with the inspector and give them an idea of what kinds of questions the inspector is likely to ask.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions at the closing conference, which takes place at the end of the inspection.
For detail on these tips, have a look at the article.
This Occupational Safety Blog has gotten great reader response in the eight months since I began writing it, and now we are going to make it even better by adding two author/experts to the writing team.