"I
am from OSHA, and I am
here to help you."
Hearing that line is certainly enough to send shudders
down the spine of any facility manager. I speak from personal experience: my company went through
an inspection by the Occupational
Safety and Health Administration
within the past year.
It certainly was not welcome, but,
truth be told, while there was some
pain, there were also many lessons
learned. Our work environment
became safer through the process,
and we gained a lot of knowledge
on how to minimize the possibility
of a future inspection.
OSHA today is probably as wellstaffed with compliance personnel
as it has been at any time during
my 40-year career. With this larger
staff, it is much more likely that a
company will undergo an inspection, particularly if it meets one
of the key criteria OSHA uses to
prioritize inspections.
John Heyer (left) and his management team: Michele Skopek, customer service; Pam Hansen, sales manager; Steve Ballering, quality control; and Dave
Wendegatz, plant manager.
Further, OSHA is not bashful
about fining companies for violations. We were told by a manager
in the local OSHA office that the
agency views fines as a teaching tool
to encourage companies to follow
safety regulations.
So no company should assume it
is too small or too out of the way
to get a visit. If it meets any of the
key criteria, it is not a matter of
if it will be visited; it is a matter
of when.
OSHA sometimes targets specific industries for inspections because the industry itself is deemed to have safety issues.
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