What Are OSHA Inspections Here’s What You Need to Know

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What Are OSHA Inspections? Heres What You Need
to Know
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INTRODUCTION
Are you a company that operates in hazardous
environments or are there working conditions
that could cost your employees their lives? If
yes, you are likely to face an OSHA inspection
anytime soon! Knowledge of OSHA inspection types
and how OSHA inspections work can help you avoid
citations and penalties resulting from
violations of OSHA's safety and health
standards. To make things easier, we've compiled
an entire blog to help you understand OSHA job
site inspections better.
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What is an OSHA Inspection?
An "OSHA inspection" is an examination of a
worksite carried out by dedicated compliance
safety and health officers. Inspections are
conducted to help both employers and employees
minimize onsite hazards and mitigate the risk of
workplace injuries and fatalities.
OSHA inspections are carried out by
highly-trained industrial hygienists and are
usually conducted without prior notice (called
OSHA random inspections). OSHA prioritizes its
inspection resources for workplaces that are
characterized by a high prevalence of hazards
that could lead to serious physical harm or even
death. For states operating under an
OSHA-approved State Plan, inspections are
executed by dedicated inspectors of that state.
Worksite inspections are conducted at a
particular time, normally during regular business
hours.
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What are OSHA Inspection Priorities?

• Due to limited resources and capabilities to
  perform inspections, OSHA has prioritized
  workplaces for inspections.
• OSHA inspects workplaces in the following order
  of priority
• Imminent danger
• Employee injuries, illnesses, catastrophes or
  death
• Complaints from workers
• Referrals from federal, state or local agencies
• Target industry inspections
• Follow-up inspections

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Types of OSHA Inspections
Employee Complaint Inspections
Imminent Danger Inspections
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Investigative Inspections
Programmed Inspections
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Follow-up Inspections
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Penalties for Committing an OSHA Violation
Penalties imposed by OSHA for violations of its
safety and health standards can cost a fortune to
companies. They can easily range from a few
thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of
dollars or even more. However, these penalties
can be significantly reduced depending on the
answers to the following questions How serious
is the violation? How cooperative the employer is
during the inspection and while resolving the
issue? What is the size and scale of the
business? What is the business' inspection
history and record of violations? Is the
business unable to pay the penalties due to a
lack of capital?
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Final Thoughts
Now that you are aware of the intricacies of OSHA
inspections, preparing yourself for one
shouldn't be so difficult. Promoting a culture
of safety at the workplace has always been a
best practice to avoid OSHA inspections and
violations. The best way to do it? Enroll your
workers in a dedicated HAZWOPER training course.
These courses are recommended by OSHA and are a
cost-effective way of training employees for
meeting OSHA's legal framework. Get enrolled for
our OSHA 40-Hour HAZWOPER Course today or feel
free to get in touch!
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CONTACT
https// hazwoper-osha. com/ info_at_HAZWOPER-OSHA.
com 1-866-429-6742 11901 Santa Monica
Blvd. Suite 414 Los Angeles, CA 90025