By Don Dressler, Don Dressler Consulting
Are you ready for Cal/OSHA inspectors? Each year Cal/OSHA inspects between 9,000 and 10,000 employers in California, with 240 field personnel devoted to this task. If one of your employees has a serious injury (which must be reported to Cal/OSHA within 8 hours), that will likely trigger an inspection. In fact, 25% of Cal/OSHA inspections are caused by serious injury reports. Another 25% of inspections are the result of an employee complaint.
In 2012, there is a special emphasis on outdoor employees and enforcement of heat illness plans and employee protection. Cal/OSHA has also just begun a special emphasis on confined space programs, due to a series of California fatalities involving these hazards.
Employees in warehousing and storage, food and wood manufacturers, roofing contractors, and dry cleaners and laundries are in “high hazard” industries and will see stepped-up enforcement as well. So too are nursing and residential care facilities. These employers receive frequent inspections as part of Cal/OSHA’s program.
Since the average OSHA fine per inspection is $2,657, and 54% of all inspections result in penalties, are you ready? Join us April 19 for a fast paced webinar review of the phases of a Cal/OSHA inspection, how your company can prepare, what to do when the Cal/OSHA inspector arrives, and how to handle the aftermath. If your firm is cited for a “serious” OSHA violation, the average penalty now is $5,503.41, but the initial fine after inspection will probably be $17,000 or more to start. (Note the average fine under federal OSHA for a “serious” violation is only $970). In California, you must be prepared for compliance.
We will also cover specific best practices for safety and OSHA compliance designed not only to keep you out of trouble, but save lives and money as well.
Don Dressler of Irvine-based Don Dressler Consulting has been working with safety recordkeeping for over 15 years as the head of an agricultural trade association’s safety and loss control staff and since 2003 as a safety and human resources consultant and attorney. Dressler focuses on safety, employment and human resources issues, accident investigations, OSHA compliance and workers’ compensation. He will help you “Effectively Prepare For A Surprise Visit From Cal/OSHA” on April 19, 2012 at 10:30 am Pacific time.