Dear Valued Customer,

In this issue of the “——————“ we focus on the benefits and resources OSHA provides small businesses.

Read about OSHA’s free on-site consultation program offering confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country. Talk to a Compliance Assistant Specialist to learn about OSHA standards and compliance assistance resources.

The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) can help with safety information and tools which can make your environment a better place. Positively impacting your workforce, your managers, and your business as a whole.

We appreciate your continued business and look forward to serving you.

Kind regards,

OSHA’s Free On-site Consultation Program

OSHA’s free On-site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. On-site Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing injury and illness prevention programs. Read more about OSHA’s free On-site Consultation Program.

Compliance Assistance Specialists (CAS)

Each OSHA Area Office in states under federal jurisdiction has a Compliance Assistance Specialist. These staffers respond to requests for help from a variety of groups, including small businesses. CAS’s put on seminars and workshops for small businesses and other groups. They promote OSHA’s cooperative programs, OSHA’s training resources, and the OSHA web site. To read more about Compliance Assistance Specialists and find a directory of CAS’s in your area, click here.

Penalty Reductions

OSHA takes employer size into consideration when assessing penalties. Please see the OSHA Administrative Penalty Information Bulletin for additional information on small employer eligibility for penalty reductions.

OSHA’s Cooperative Programs

OSHA offers cooperative programs under which businesses, labor groups, and other organizations can work cooperatively with the Agency to help prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in the workplace. For help on deciding which cooperative programs are right for you, see Find a Cooperative Program. If you are located in a State with an OSHA-approved State Plan, please contact your state agency for information about cooperative programs. All States with OSHA-approved programs have their own cooperative programs.

Diverse Workforce/Limited English Proficiency Coordinators

OSHA’s Diverse Workforce/Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Coordinators assist a variety of groups, including small businesses, trade associations, union locals, and community and faith-based groups with outreach, education and training to Spanish-speaking and other diverse workers. The coordinators are available for seminars, workshops, and speaking events for diverse workers. They promote OSHA’s cooperative programs and Spanish/other-than-English training materials and compliance assistance resources available on the OSHA Web site. There is one Diverse Workforce/LEP Coordinator in each of the ten OSHA Regions. To find the Diverse Workforce/LEP Coordinator in your Region, click here.

Training and Education

OSHA’s Training Institute (OTI) and OSHA’s Training Education Centers across the country provide basic and advanced courses in safety and health. OSHA’s area offices offer information services, such as audiovisual aids, technical advice, and speakers for special engagements. In addition, the Training Centers have begun offering one-day or one-half-day seminars to increase opportunities for small business employers to attend safety/health training.

Susan Harwood Training Grants Program – Training and educational programs for small businesses is a priority for the grants program. The program has funded Small Business Development Centers.

Electronic Tools and Resources

OSHA eTools are “stand-alone”, interactive, Web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics. They are highly illustrated and utilize graphical menus. Some also use expert system modules, which enable the user to answer questions, and receive reliable advice on how OSHA regulations apply to their work site.

• OSHA’s Safety and Health Management Systems eTool provides guidance for employers looking to build effective safety and health management systems at their worksites.

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages provide access to selected occupational safety and health information. The subjects of these pages include specific workplace hazards, as well as individual industries.

• OSHA Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting Requirements.

OSHA’s Compliance Assistance Quick Start is a tool to introduce employers and employees, especially those at new or small businesses, to the compliance assistance resources on OSHA’s website.

OSHA’s $afety Pays Program is an interactive expert system to assist employers in estimating the costs of occupational injuries and illnesses and the impact on a company’s profitability. This system uses a company’s profit margin, the AVERAGE costs of an injury or illness, and an indirect cost multiplier to project the amount of sales a company would need to generate in order to cover those costs.

Frequently Cited OSHA Standards is a query tool which allows the user to determine the most frequently cited Federal and State OSHA standards for a given NAICS code. The NAICS code may be determined by accessing the online NAICS Manual.

Publications

OSHA has many publications, including specific topics for small businesses that are available or can be ordered online.

Source: United States Department of Labor, “Benefits and Resources” https://www.osha.gov website. Accessed November 24, 2015. https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/benefits.html

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.

Who are Compliance Assistance Specialists and how can they help me?

Compliance Assistance Specialists can provide general information about OSHA standards and compliance assistance resources. They respond to requests for help from a variety of groups, including small businesses, trade associations, union locals, and community and faith-based groups. There is generally one Compliance Assistance Specialist in each OSHA Area Office in states under federal jurisdiction. They are available for seminars, workshops, and speaking events. They promote cooperative programs, such as the On-site Consultation Program, the Voluntary Protection Programs, the Strategic Partnership Program, and the Alliance Program. They also promote OSHA’s training resources and the tools available on the OSHA web site.

How do I contact a Compliance Assistance Specialist?

Check the Compliance Assistance Specialist Directory for the CAS in your local office.

What if I’m in a state with an OSHA-approved program?

Contact your local state office for compliance assistance.

What other OSHA personnel can employers and workers contact for assistance?

• Regional Labor Liaisons. Each OSHA Region has a Labor Liaison, whose job it is to maintain communication with organized and unorganized workers, Committees on Occupational Health and Safety, worker centers, and coalitions. The Labor Liaisons help these groups navigate OSHA’s organizational structure or complaint procedures, and assist them in developing and updating health and safety programs.
• Regional Diverse Workforce/Limited English Proficiency Coordinators. Each OSHA Region has a Diverse Workforce/Limited English Proficiency Coordinator to assist small businesses, trade associations, union locals, community and faith-based groups, and others with outreach, education and training to Spanish-speaking and other diverse workers.
• On-site Consultation Program. OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program offers free and confidential advice to small and medium-sized businesses in all states across the country, with priority given to high-hazard worksites. On-site Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing injury and illness prevention programs.
• Regional and Area Offices. Contact your local OSHA office for more information.

Source: United States Department of Labor, “Compliance Assistance Specialists (CASs)” https://www.osha.gov website. Accessed November 24, 2015. https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/cas.html

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.

Program Information & Benefits

Using a free consultation service largely funded by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), employers can find out about potential hazards at their worksites, improve their occupational injury and illness prevention programs, and even qualify for a one-year exemption from routine OSHA inspections.

The service is delivered by state governments using well-trained professional staff. Most consultations take place on-site, though limited services away from the worksite are available.

Primarily targeted for smaller businesses, this safety and health consultation program is completely separate from the OSHA inspection effort. In addition, no citations are issued or penalties proposed.

It’s confidential, too. Your name, your firm’s name, and any information you provide about your workplace, plus any unsafe or unhealthful working conditions that the consultant uncovers, will not be reported routinely to the OSHA inspection staff.

Your only obligation will be to correct serious job safety and health hazards — a commitment which you are expected to make prior to the actual visit and carry out in a timely manner.

Benefits

Your Workforce

An effective workplace injury and illness prevention program at your worksite(s) will enable you to:

• Recognize and remove hazards from your workplace.
• Protect your workers from injury and illness.
• Prevent loss of life at your worksite.
• Cultivate informed and alert employees who take responsibility for their own and their coworkers’ safety and for worksite safety as a whole.
• Improve employee morale.

Your Managers

An increased understanding of workplace hazards and remedies will put your managers in a better position to:

• Comply with federal and state safety and health requirements.
• Become more effective at their jobs. Management experts believe that a company with a well-managed injury and illness prevention program enjoys better overall management.
• Increase productivity rates and assure product quality.

Your Business as a Whole

An exemplary workplace injury and illness prevention program is “good business sense” that also makes financial sense because it will allow you to:

• Learn first-hand that the cost of accident prevention is far lower than the cost of accidents.
• Improve the bottom line by:
  • Lowering injury and illness rates,
  • Decreasing workers’ compensation costs,
  • Reducing lost workdays, and
  • Limiting equipment damage and product losses.

And if you are a small business employer, you may be eligible for another great benefit – recognition by the state and OSHA through participation in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

Small Business Success Stories

Read about some of the small businesses that have benefited from OSHA’s On-site Consultation Program and SHARP on our Small Business Success Stories page.

Source: United States Department of Labor, “OSHA: On-site Consultation” https://www.osha.gov website. Accessed November 24, 2015. https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/smallbusiness/program_info.html

© Copyright 2016. All rights reserved. This content is strictly for informational purposes and although experts have prepared it, the reader should not substitute this information for professional insurance advice. If you have any questions, please consult your insurance professional before acting on any information presented. Read more.