1. The PA OSHA Consultation Program

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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… years each
Board certified professionals

6. 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

7. 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, assistance
Interventions, presentations and seminars

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. Requesting Assistance
Phone
Website
Priority of requests determined by:
the nature of the worksite problem,
the worksite size and industry category, and
the type of consultation service desired

18. Questions