{"id":834,"date":"2019-08-13T22:48:14","date_gmt":"2019-08-13T22:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=834"},"modified":"2024-04-25T01:45:20","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T01:45:20","slug":"osha-inspection","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/chapter\/osha-inspection\/","title":{"raw":"OSHA Inspection","rendered":"OSHA Inspection"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\r\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Describe OSHA's inspection process<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2359\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"350\"]<img class=\"wp-image-2359\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4056\/2019\/08\/11184943\/Alberta_Department_of_Public_Health_Work_Safety_Poster_26534407826-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"Two workers holding a third worker who has fallen from a ladder. &quot;Broken rules, broken rungs, broken bones.&quot;\" width=\"350\" height=\"446\" \/> Alberta Department of Public Health Work Safety Poster[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWith jurisdiction for approximately 7 million worksites, OSHA prioritizes inspections based on hazard in the following order:[footnote]\"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/OshDoc\/data_General_Facts\/factsheet-inspections.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OSHA Fact Sheet<\/a>.\" Occupational Safety and Health Administration, United States Department of Labor. Accessed August 20, 2019.[\/footnote]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Imminent danger.<\/strong> A situation where hazards could cause death or serious harm.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Severe illness or injury.<\/strong> Based on employer reporting of fatality, severe illness or injury.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Worker complaints.<\/strong> Investigating worker allegations of hazards or violations.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Referrals.<\/strong> Notice of hazards referred from other agencies, individuals, organizations or the media.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Targeted inspections.<\/strong> Inspections focused on high-hazard industries or workplaces.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Follow-up inspections.<\/strong> To ensure abatement (resolution) of prior violations<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nLower priority hazards may be addressed without an on-site inspection, with compliance officers and employers discussing safety and health concerns, findings and corrective actions by phone and in writing.\r\n\r\nOSHA\u2019s on-site inspections are a six-step process as detailed below.\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Preparation.<\/strong>\u00a0This includes researching inspection history, determining what standards are more likely to apply based on operations and collecting the appropriate safety gear and testing instruments.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Presentation of credentials.<\/strong> OSHA compliance officers generally do not provide advance notice of inspections. Employers have the right to require compliance officers to obtain an inspection warrant before entering the worksite.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Opening conference.<\/strong> The compliance officer will explain why the site was selected for inspection, describe the inspection scope and procedures. The employer selects a representative to accompany the compliance officer during the inspection. An authorized representative of the employees\u2014for example, a union representative\u2014also has the right to accompany an inspector.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Walkaround.<\/strong> The compliance officer and company representative(s) will walk through the areas of the workplace covered by the inspection, looking for hazards that could lead to employee injury or illness. The officer will also review worksite injury and illness records and note whether the OSHA poster is on display.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Closing Conference.<\/strong> The compliance officer will hold a closing conference with the employer and the employee representatives to discuss the findings and possible courses of action. The officer will also cover employer rights (e.g., right to content citations and proposed penalties), employee rights and discuss OSHA consultation services.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Results.<\/strong> If an inspector finds serious hazards or violations of OSHA standards, the agency must issue a citation and proposed penalty within six months. Citations describe OSHA requirements allegedly violated, list any proposed penalties, and give a deadline for correcting the alleged hazards.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Settlement or Appeal.<\/strong> When OSHA issues a citation, it also extends an offer to discuss the findings with the OSHA Area Director. The objective of this meeting is to arrive at a settlement agreement to eliminate the hazards and resolve the issue. Alternately, employers can contest the alleged violations and\/or penalties. This appeal must be submitted in writing within 15 working days after receipt of results. Contests are forwarded to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for independent review. Inspection results\u2014citations, penalties, and abatement dates\u2014that are not challenged or settled become a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\r\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/43a13838-0b3b-41f5-8e03-9f4a8aea0aab\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"textbox learning-objectives\">\n<h3>Learning Outcomes<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Describe OSHA&#8217;s inspection process<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"attachment_2359\" style=\"width: 360px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2359\" class=\"wp-image-2359\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4056\/2019\/08\/11184943\/Alberta_Department_of_Public_Health_Work_Safety_Poster_26534407826-235x300.jpg\" alt=\"Two workers holding a third worker who has fallen from a ladder. &quot;Broken rules, broken rungs, broken bones.&quot;\" width=\"350\" height=\"446\" \/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-2359\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alberta Department of Public Health Work Safety Poster<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>With jurisdiction for approximately 7 million worksites, OSHA prioritizes inspections based on hazard in the following order:<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"&quot;OSHA Fact Sheet.&quot; Occupational Safety and Health Administration, United States Department of Labor. Accessed August 20, 2019.\" id=\"return-footnote-834-1\" href=\"#footnote-834-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Imminent danger.<\/strong> A situation where hazards could cause death or serious harm.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Severe illness or injury.<\/strong> Based on employer reporting of fatality, severe illness or injury.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Worker complaints.<\/strong> Investigating worker allegations of hazards or violations.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Referrals.<\/strong> Notice of hazards referred from other agencies, individuals, organizations or the media.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Targeted inspections.<\/strong> Inspections focused on high-hazard industries or workplaces.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Follow-up inspections.<\/strong> To ensure abatement (resolution) of prior violations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Lower priority hazards may be addressed without an on-site inspection, with compliance officers and employers discussing safety and health concerns, findings and corrective actions by phone and in writing.<\/p>\n<p>OSHA\u2019s on-site inspections are a six-step process as detailed below.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Preparation.<\/strong>\u00a0This includes researching inspection history, determining what standards are more likely to apply based on operations and collecting the appropriate safety gear and testing instruments.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Presentation of credentials.<\/strong> OSHA compliance officers generally do not provide advance notice of inspections. Employers have the right to require compliance officers to obtain an inspection warrant before entering the worksite.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Opening conference.<\/strong> The compliance officer will explain why the site was selected for inspection, describe the inspection scope and procedures. The employer selects a representative to accompany the compliance officer during the inspection. An authorized representative of the employees\u2014for example, a union representative\u2014also has the right to accompany an inspector.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Walkaround.<\/strong> The compliance officer and company representative(s) will walk through the areas of the workplace covered by the inspection, looking for hazards that could lead to employee injury or illness. The officer will also review worksite injury and illness records and note whether the OSHA poster is on display.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Closing Conference.<\/strong> The compliance officer will hold a closing conference with the employer and the employee representatives to discuss the findings and possible courses of action. The officer will also cover employer rights (e.g., right to content citations and proposed penalties), employee rights and discuss OSHA consultation services.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Results.<\/strong> If an inspector finds serious hazards or violations of OSHA standards, the agency must issue a citation and proposed penalty within six months. Citations describe OSHA requirements allegedly violated, list any proposed penalties, and give a deadline for correcting the alleged hazards.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Settlement or Appeal.<\/strong> When OSHA issues a citation, it also extends an offer to discuss the findings with the OSHA Area Director. The objective of this meeting is to arrive at a settlement agreement to eliminate the hazards and resolve the issue. Alternately, employers can contest the alleged violations and\/or penalties. This appeal must be submitted in writing within 15 working days after receipt of results. Contests are forwarded to the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission for independent review. Inspection results\u2014citations, penalties, and abatement dates\u2014that are not challenged or settled become a final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"textbox tryit\">\n<h3>Practice Question<\/h3>\n<p>\t<iframe id=\"assessment_practice_43a13838-0b3b-41f5-8e03-9f4a8aea0aab\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/assess.lumenlearning.com\/practice\/43a13838-0b3b-41f5-8e03-9f4a8aea0aab?iframe_resize_id=assessment_practice_id_43a13838-0b3b-41f5-8e03-9f4a8aea0aab\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:none;width:100%;height:100%;min-height:300px;\"><br \/>\n\t<\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-834\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>OSHA Inspection. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Nina Burokas. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Alberta Department of Public Health Work Safety Poster. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Provincial Archives of Alberta. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/alberta_archives\/26534407826\/\">https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/alberta_archives\/26534407826\/<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/about\/pdm\">Public Domain: No Known Copyright<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section><hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-834-1\">\"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/OshDoc\/data_General_Facts\/factsheet-inspections.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OSHA Fact Sheet<\/a>.\" Occupational Safety and Health Administration, United States Department of Labor. Accessed August 20, 2019. <a href=\"#return-footnote-834-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":17,"menu_order":8,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"original\",\"description\":\"OSHA Inspection\",\"author\":\"Nina Burokas\",\"organization\":\"Lumen Learning\",\"url\":\"\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Alberta Department of Public Health Work Safety Poster\",\"author\":\"Provincial Archives of Alberta\",\"organization\":\"\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/alberta_archives\/26534407826\/\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"pd\",\"license_terms\":\"\"}]","CANDELA_OUTCOMES_GUID":"bc3ed3ca-26c5-45ed-985c-33b7f01325f3, 28b25e70-5a6c-4920-b57f-4164f579e957","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-834","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":825,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/834","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3407,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/834\/revisions\/3407"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/825"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/834\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=834"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=834"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-humanresourcesmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}