You never know when they will come knocking! If your ducks are scattered you had better get them in a row beforehand or it could mean violations and possible fines.
There are steps you can take to be ready if you do get inspected. Loren Faulkner has written a good article on the topic. Below is an exerpt:
Why would OSHA conduct an inspection?
Somebody has made a complaint about worksite safety or health--perhaps a current or former employee, or perhaps even a resident from the community who is worried about hazardous materials or some other safety or health hazard that could affect the area surrounding your company.
A fatality has occurred in your facility.
It's a regularly scheduled inspection. This is most likely if you are in a high-hazard industry. Thousands of high-hazard worksites are targeted for unannounced, comprehensive safety and health inspections every year.
It's a follow-up visit, perhaps to determine if prior violations have been corrected.
What are inspectors looking for? Inspectors are looking for violations of OSHA standards.
8 Top Violations
The exact kind of violations depends on the nature of your operations and the particular hazards of your workplace. However, you and your employees should be aware that last year's list of the most-often-cited OSHA violations for general industry featured safety and health problems related to:
Machine guarding
Lockout/tagout
Ladders and scaffolding
Hazardous chemicals
Respiratory protection
Fall protection
Electrical safety
Powered industrial trucks
For the rest of the article
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