Creating Safer Workplaces

In 2016, 27,385 businesses took advantage of a free and confidential On-site Consultation Program available through the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The program helps facility executives remove workplace hazards and better protect their workers.

Executives are often hesitant to reach out to OSHA, fearing that inviting inspectors in opens the door to costly fines. But officials stress that the On-site Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations. Instead, 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.

Businesses that benefited most from the program are small and mid-sized companies – 57 percent of those helped last year had fewer than 26 employees. According to OSHA, priority is given to high-hazard industries, with more than half of all visits going to construction or manufacturing sites.

In 2016, consultants identified and helped employers eliminate more than 140,000 total hazards, protecting an estimated 3.3 million workers from possible injury, illness or death.

Click here for more information on this program.