What you can do to prepare for an OSHA inspection.
If you run a business, then you know that regulatory inspections are a routine. Many of these inspections are handled by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA. OSHA inspections are designed to ensure that the business is following health and safety guidelines and adequately protects workers from injury. If you want your workplace to succeed, then here’s what you can do to prepare for an OSHA inspection.
What to Expect During an OSHA Inspection
OSHA inspections can be scheduled ahead of time or can be triggered by an injury or workplace accident that must be investigated by regulatory forces. However, you do not have to be too worried by a surprise visit. While OSHA oversees about eight million workplaces, they only conduct about 70,000 inspections on an annual basis.
That being said, it’s important that your business is ready to be inspected at any time. One of the first things that you should do to prepare is train employees on how to treat the inspector. For instance, you should assign staff members to handle the following:
- An employee to greet the inspector
- An employee to accompany the inspector during their walkthrough
- An employee or employees to gather any requested documentation such as safety policies, training records, injury reports, workers compensation claim reports, and hazard mitigation records
- A union representative if your business works with unionized workers
- Back up employees to fill these roles as needed
Please note that the business’s treatment of the inspector can influence how the inspection goes. If the inspector is treated poorly or with indifference, then this can skew the inspector’s review of your business.
An inspector may also conduct interviews with facility managers and employees. Typically, an inspection will begin with a walkthrough of the facility, interviews with managers and employees, closing conferences, and a request for any additional information. With this in mind, it’s important that your business is prepared by doing the following:
- Keeping records (especially those that are required under OSHA guidelines)
- Making records readily accessible
- Ensuring that kept records are complete and thorough
Advantages of Being Prepared for Inspections
Obviously, being prepared for your inspection decreases the chances of the inspector finding violations in your workplace. This allows you to escape the penalties associated with noncompliance. Additionally, preparing for inspections means keeping your workplace as safe as possible. This means that you can reduce the risk of employee injuries and also save on your workers compensation insurance.
These are some of the things that you can do to prepare for an OSHA inspection. Do you need help with keeping your business and employees safe? Then make sure you have the right business insurance in place. For assistance with all your commercial coverage needs, contact the experts at PMC Insurance Group.
