The PA OSHA Consultation Program

Federal Mandate Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 Enforcement Consultation Consultation requirement codified in 29 CFR 1908 Each State and US Territory must provide safety and health consultation services Funded by Federal OSHA at 90% and by IUP at 10% 1 of 50 OSHA Consultation Programs nationally 1 of 8 university based programs… 2nd largest in U.S.

Primary Objectives To assist PA employers with: complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 saving workers lives and their livelihoods preventing needless occupational injuries, illnesses and disabilities minimizing property damage and costs avoiding OSHA penalties, fines and criminal prosecutions reducing workers compensation costs and third party liability exposures attaining and sustaining economic viability

History Since 1983 at IUP Touted as an exemplary Consultation Program by OSHA Serves as a model for other state programs Rated as outstanding by employers consistently Closely affiliated with the IUP “world-class and internationally known” Safety Sciences program

Staffing 15 FTE’s Consultants strategically located throughout PA 1 Program Director, 12 Safety and Health Consultants 2 Administrative Staff 4 vacant consultant positions Consultants strategically located throughout PA Highly experienced… 15-35 years each Board certified professionals

Designed for Smaller Businesses Designed specifically for small-and medium-size businesses 250 employees at a single site or 500 corporate wide Priority assistance given to: employers in high-hazard industries involved in hazardous operations Large business requests honored as well…but limited scope

Services Performed Onsite Offsite Physical hazard evaluations Occupational health exposure monitoring Regulatory required program assessment and development assistance Regulatory required training Post OSHA inspection compliance assistance Safety and health management program development assistance… leading to OSHA inspection deferral Offsite Daily telephone, email assistance Interventions, presentations and seminars

Process Overview Requests received and assigned to consultants Onsite visit Opening conference Review of regulatory program, training and recordkeeping requirements Walkthrough of facility Physical hazards evaluation Closing conference Report generated with specific hazards, correction recommendations and completion timelines Potential follow-up visits correction verification training

No Citations, No Penalties Different than OSHA enforcement Citations for violations… are not issued Penalties for violations… are not imposed The “catch” Employer must agree to correct any “serious or imminent danger” hazards identified Will refer to OSHA Enforcement if employer refuses to correct hazards…very rare

Confidential Must maintain total employer confidentiality Cannot divulge any info. to OSHA Enforcement Cannot divulge any info. to lawyers pursuing liability cases Protected from subpoena's Request for Consultation Services will not trigger an OSHA inspection

Impact on PA Employers Consultants visited over 25,000 PA worksites Helped employers correct over 115,000 serious and other than serious hazards Saved employers over $805M from potential OSHA fines Assisted employers prevent countless worker injuries / illnesses and deaths

Costs and Savings Free of charge to eligible employers Avoided OSHA penalty and litigation costs Reduced workers compensation costs Minimized equipment damage and product losses Additional cost savings …retained Safety and Health Consultants can cost employers $250/hr One consultant identifies an average of 4.5 serious hazards and SAVES the employer approximately $31,500 in OSHA fines** per visit

Other Business Benefits Lowered Injury and Illness rates Reduced Workers Compensation - Experience Modification rates Enhanced worker morale Increased productivity Better product or service quality Improved competitive position Business sustainability

SHARP The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) must have an exemplary safety and health management system. must have OSHA rates better than their industry average exempt form OSHA programmed inspections… for up to 2 years

Pre SHARP - Inspection Deferral Can’t meet all the SHARP eligibility criteria Are committed to working toward full SHARP approval Can meet all SHARP requirements during the deferral period May be recommended for an inspection deferral… up to 18 months

Conclusion OSHA Consultation is a great service for PA employers We often hear “this is OSHA’s best kept secret” Significant backlog of requests, approximately 700…nearly 1 year for entire staff Repeat business… tells the story

Requesting Assistance Phone 800-382-1241 Website www.iup.edu/pa-oshaconsultation Priority of requests determined by: the nature of the worksite problem, the worksite size and industry category, and the type of consultation service desired

Questions