FactSheet Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Inspections OSHA is committed to strong, fair, and effective enforcement of safety and health OSHA is committed to strong, fair, and effective enforcement of safety and health requirements in the workplace. OSHA inspectors, called compliance safety and health requirements in the workplace. OSHA inspectors, called compliance safety and health officers, are experienced, well-trained industrial hygienists and safety professionals whose officers, are experienced, well-trained industrial hygienists and safety professionals goal is to assure compliance with OSHA requirements and help employers and workers whose goal is to assure compliance with OSHA requirements and help employers and reduce on-the-job hazards and prevent injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace. workers reduce on-the-job hazards and prevent injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the Normally, OSHA conducts inspections without advance notice. Employers have the right workplace. Normally, OSHA conducts inspections without advance notice. Employers to require compliance officers to obtain an inspection warrant before entering the worksite.
have the right to require compliance officers to obtain an inspection warrant before entering the worksite.
Inspection Priorities OSHA has jurisdiction over approximately 7 million Inspection Priorities worksites. The agency seeks to focus its inspection OSHA has jurisdiction over approximately 7 milresources on the most hazardous workplaces in the lion worksites. The agency seeks to focus its inspecfollowing order of priority: tion resources on the most hazardous workplaces in the following order ofsituations—hazards priority: 1. Imminent danger that could cause death or serious physical harm receive 1. Imminent danger situations—hazards thattop could priority. Compliance officers will ask employers cause death or serious physical harm receive top to correct these hazards immediately remove to priority. Compliance officers will askoremployers endangered correct theseemployees. hazards immediately or remove endangered employees. 2. Severe injuries and illnesses—employers 2. Severe injuries and illnesses—employers must must report: report: • All work-related fatalities within 8 hours. • All work-related fatalities within 8 hours. • All work-related inpatient hospitalizations, • All work-related hospitalizations, amputations, or losses ofinpatient an eye within 24 hours. amputations, or losses of an eye within 24 3. Worker Complaints—allegations of hazards or hours. violations also receive a high priority. Employees 3. Worker Complaints—allegations of hazards or may request anonymity whenpriority. they file complaints. violations also receive a high Employees may request anonymity when they file complaints. 4. Referrals of hazards from other federal, state or 4. Referrals of individuals, hazards from other federal, local agencies, organizations or state the or local agencies, individuals, organizations or the memedia receive consideration for inspection. dia receive consideration for inspection. 5. Targeted inspections—inspections aimed 5. Targeted inspections—inspections aimed at specific at specific high-hazard industries or individual high-hazard industries or individual workplaces that have workplaces that have experienced high rates of experienced high rates of injuries and illnesses also reinjuries and illnesses also receive priority. ceive priority. 6. Follow-up Follow-up inspections—checks forfor abatement of of 6. inspections—checks abatement violations are also also violations cited cited during during previous previous inspections are conducted conducted by by the the agency agency in in certain certain circumstances. circumstances.
details on alleged safety and health hazards. The employer respond in writing within five based on must their severity. For lower-priority hazards, working days, identifying any problems found with permission of a complainant, OSHA may teleand noting corrective to actions takensafety or planned. If phone the employer describe and health the response is adequate andathe is concerns, following up with faxcomplainant providing details satisfied with the response, OSHA generally not on alleged safety and health hazards. The will employconduct an on-site er must respond ininspection. writing within five working days, identifying any problems found and noting corrective On-Site Inspections actions taken or planned. If the response is adequate Preparation—Before conducting an inspection, and the complainant is satisfied with the response, OSHA generally compliance research inspection OSHA willofficers not conduct anthe on-site inspechistory of a worksite using various data sources, tion. review the operations and processes in use and the On-Site standards most likely toInspections apply. They gather approPreparation—Before conducting priate personal protective equipmentan andinspection, testing OSHA compliance officers research the inspection instruments to measure potential hazards. history of a worksite using various data sources, rePresentation of credentials—The on-site view the operations and processes in inspection use and the begins with the presentation of the compliance standards most likely to apply. They gather appropriofficer’s credentials, which include both a photograph ate personal protective equipment and testing instruand a serial number. ments to measure potential hazards.
Presentation of credentials—The on-site Opening Conference—The compliance officerinspecwill tion begins with the presentation of the compliance explain why OSHA selected the workplace for officer’s credentials, which photograph inspection and describe theinclude scope both of thea inspection, and a serial number. walkaround procedures, employee representation Opening Conference—The officer will and employee interviews. Thecompliance employer then selects explain why OSHA selected the a representative to accompany the workplace compliancefor inspection and describe the scope of the inspection, officer during the inspection. An authorized walkaround procedures, employee representation representative of the employees, if any, also has the and employee interviews. The employer then selects right to accompany an inspector. The compliance a representative to accompany the compliance ofofficer will consult privately with a reasonable ficer during the inspection. An authorized represennumber of employees during the inspection. tative of the employees, if any, also has the right to Phone/Fax Investigations Phone/Fax Investigations accompany an inspector.the The compliance officerthe will Walkaround—Following opening conference, OSHA prioritizes all allcomplaints complaintsititreceives receives OSHA carefully prioritizes continued on page compliance officer and the representatives will walk47 based on their severity. For lower-priority hazards, through the portions of the workplace covered by the with permission of a complainant, OSHA may inspection, inspecting for hazards that could lead to telephone the employer to describe safety and employee injury or illness. The compliance officer will JANUARY, 2022 following up “BUY FROM ADVERTISERS INreview CONSTRUCTION OUTLOOK” health concerns, with a fax THE providing also worksite injury and illness records and 45 the posting of the official OSHA poster.
