OSHA Safety Compliance Audits

OSHA safety and health compliance audits are intended to help employers identify potentially hazardous and non-compliant work practices, conditions, programs, training, recordkeeping, and other systemic deficiencies. What OSHA preaches and what most employers have come to understand is that periodic worksite analysis is critical to the implementation of an effective safety and health management system. By routinely identifying and correcting unsafe or non-compliant worksite conditions, the likelihood of work-related injuries or illnesses is greatly diminished. In the event of an OSHA inspection, the likelihood of receiving citations and penalties for requirement violations is also significantly reduced.

Regular worksite safety and health audits combined with a well-managed corrective action program will greatly improve safety and health outcomes at your establishment or worksite. Utilizing a third party like Fletcher Safety Consulting to assist with these audits enhances the effectiveness of the process. Ultimately, you will save?your company money by reducing injuries, illnesses, and the potential for OSHA citations and penalties.

Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) or Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)

The consultants at Fletcher Safety Consulting can assist you with preparation for a VPP or SHARP audit. Whether your business is in need of a pre-approval or re-certification audit, a third party review of safety and health programs, practices, and worksite conditions can be a tremendous benefit to your “voluntary” audit preparations. When Mr. Fletcher worked as a Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) with Federal OSHA, he served as a Team Member as well as a Team Leader on many VPP audits. He was also the liaison between VPP sites in Nebraska and the OSHA Regional/National Offices.

The Safety Audit Process

Fletcher Safety Consulting will perform a safety and/or health audit in a fashion similar to an official OSHA inspection covering worksite conditions, safety programs, training, recordkeeping and documentation based upon the needs of the client. In fact, most of our consultants have worked for Federal OSHA as safety and health compliance officers so we know the procedures and practices of OSHA compliance inspections extremely well.

Your compliance audit will based upon the criteria you establish. Some businesses only require a compliance assessment of the conditions in their establishment with a verbal report of any findings to the company representative; others are in need of a more comprehensive evaluation with a written report of findings and recommendations for corrective actions. The scope of the audit is up to you.

Don’t forget: perform these compliance audits?BEFORE an OSHA inspection to identify any deficiencies and make corrections on your own terms as opposed to being cited, penalized and compelled to make them.