- According to OSHA's Fact Sheet for Inspections, it would be impossible to inspect the nation's approximately 7 million places of employment regularly. Instead the agency focuses its inspections on workplaces meeting certain criteria: situations of imminent danger; places where deaths or excessive injuries have occurred; complaints and referrals; and finally, workplaces where the levels of hazardous materials or recent accidents are the greatest. The agency tries to maintain a regimen of routine inspections with these facilities, some more than once a year.
- When a routine inspection occurs, it is for government representatives to ascertain that laws are being followed, to oversee the implementation of special government programs, and to see that past violations or complaints have been addressed. It is generally conducted in the following way: After showing credentials, a requirement upon arrival at your business, an OSHA inspector interviews the facility's managers to inquire about site-specific safety matters. Then he conducts a walk-through inspection and a review of records.
- The final part of a routine OSHA inspection could involve various employees being interviewed by inspectors, who also may take photographs and video to chronicle alleged violations or incidents. It is also customary for the chief inspector to return to management upon completion of her duties to summarize findings and schedule dates for having any violations resolved. The dates of follow-up inspections are often agreed upon at this meeting.
- OSHA officials often schedule their inspections to ensure that company officials are present; however, they sometimes arrive unannounced. The way to be able to greet OSHA inspectors with a confident smile, according to the Iowa State University Extension, is to comply with the law and quickly mend any past mistakes. Read the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and its amendments. Conform with the strictures of the law, and your routine inspection will be just that.
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