OSHA starts its inspection process in several stages, once the complaint is reported in the OSHA office. So, if you are an employee or an employer of the organization, you must be aware of the inspection process; because, it can happen any time without a prior notice; and in fact, if anyone informs about the inspection in advance they are subjected to a possible fine or jail sentence.
Before inspection
Before starting the inspection, compliance office of the OSHA will undertake the research about the inspection history of the workplace, with the help of various information sources. OSHA will also review the processes in use along with the standards that are likely to be applicable. OSHA will gather the necessary testing instruments and personal protective equipment, in order to measure the potential hazard in the workplace.
Presenting inspector credentials
Once the above process is finished, the onsite inspection will start from presenting the credentials of the compliance officer with a serial number and a photograph. The officer will display these credentials when he/she appears at the site, and asks the employer or representative responsible for that to meet; and it is the responsibility of the employer to ask the credentials of the compliance officer. For this, he/she should make a call to the nearest OSHA state or federal office to confirm the same.
Opening conference
In this stage, the compliance officer will explain reason for the inspection in that workplace, apart from explaining about the scope of the inspection, walk around processes, employee interview and employee representation. Then, in order to accompany the OSHA compliance officer during the inspection, the employer will select the representative and an authorized employee representative can also join them. In any situation, the compliance officer is permitted to privately consult the reasonable number of employees at the time of inspection.
Walk around
After that, the compliance officer will walk through the areas of the workplace for inspecting the hazards that may lead to the injuries or illness. Also, the officer will review the workplace for illness and injury reports, and posting of OSHA posters in the workplace. He/she may also point out the violations that can be immediately corrected, apart from trying to minimize the interruptions that may happen at the time of inspection. Of course, they keep the information confidential about the trade secrets they observe in the workplace.
Closing of the conference
At last, the compliance officer holds a closing conference with the representatives of the employee and the employers. They would discuss about the findings in the workplace, possible course of actions that employer should take after the inspection which could be contesting citations and proposed penalties. Compliance officer also discusses about the employee rights and consultation.
These are various stages of the OSHA inspection that you should be aware of.
