How you can prepare for an OSHA inspection.
If you have recently filed a workers compensation insurance claim, then it’s possible that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) may come to inspect your workplace. But why is your business being investigated, and how can you handle a visit from OHSA? Here’s what you need to know.
Why OSHA Does Inspections
OSHA is dedicated to creating safe working environments for all men and women by enforcing safety standards, offering education, and providing assistance when necessary. To ensure that businesses are adhering to their safety guidelines, OSHA will conduct workplace inspections. OSHA inspections can be either be programmed or unprogrammed. Programmed inspections are scheduled inspections that OSHA uses to enforce rules and regulations. Unprogrammed inspections are those that take place after an employee or third-party has filed a complaint, identified imminent danger, or if a catastrophic accident has occurred.
What to Do During an OSHA Inspection
Regardless of what kind of inspection OSHA is coming to conduct, it’s important that business owners respond appropriately. You should always be courteous to your inspector and make sure that they provide their identification and explain the reason for their inspection. Make sure all your employees know what to do in this scenario, so they are prepared for surprise inspections.
During the inspection, the OSHA representative will review documentation related to the inspection and determine which areas will be looked at. From there, they will physically look around the targeted areas of concern. During the OSHA walkthrough, you should accompany the inspector at all times. As the inspector documents things, verify the accuracy of their recording to ensure a fair assessment. The inspection process may require the inspector to interview your employees. These interviews should be monitored if possible.
Following the physical inspection and interviews, the inspector will discuss their findings and possible solutions to any issues they identify. Do not argue with the inspector and listen carefully to what they have to say. Being aggressive will only make bad conclusions worse. Finally, if violations are uncovered, then you will need to address these issues immediately. Additionally, you may also face a penalty depending on the frequency and/or severity of the violation. Again, it is not your place to argue with the inspector. Instead, seek legal help if you feel the need to challenge the penalty.
This is what you should do during an OSHA inspection of your workplace. Remember, an important part of creating a safe environment for your employees is having the right workers compensation insurance in place. For assistance with all your business insurance needs, contact the experts at PMC Insurance Group. We are ready to assist you with all your commercial coverage needs today.
