Geosynthetics August/September 2022 - 8

UPDATE
The lighter side of OSHA
Inviting OSHA into your business can be your best option
By Jason Bader
W
hen most of us hear the word " OSHA, " we instantly conjure up images of ticket-writing
cops invading our workplace. And these aren't the $35 tags that grace our windshield when
we linger in a parking spot too long. These citations can easily hit the four- or five-digit mark
depending on the severity of the violation. Let's face it, a visit from the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration often ranks up there with a visit from the Internal Revenue Service. But
were you aware that there is a completely separate arm of OSHA designed to help small businesses
provide a safe environment for their employees? Best of all, it's free.
The statement " We're from the government and we're here to help " has been the punch line
in many a pop culture medium. At the very least, it raises an eyebrow when spoken from an
over-starched, briefcase-toting individual. Entrepreneurs are natural skeptics when it comes
to governmental assistance and advice. But I am here to tell you, this one is a pretty good deal.
OSHA Consultation Services program
I stumbled across this side of OSHA when I began teaching a warehouse management course
for the American Supply Association. In our discussions about employee safety, some of the
participants mentioned that they had invited an OSHA consultant in to do an assessment of
their facility. After the initial shock wore off-envisioning letting the fox in the hen house-I
was exposed to some amazing success stories. After the session, I did some research and learned
that this less publicized side of the safety and health administration is referred to as the OSHA
Consultation Services program. I even invited a member of the consulting service side to speak at
one of my training classes. It was at this event that my opinion of this agency completely changed.
The consulting program is designed to help small businesses provide safe working
environments. It generally focuses on companies with fewer than 250 employees at one site and
works on practical solutions designed to fit the individual environment. Best of all, working with
the consulting services side of OSHA can give you an exemption from the enforcement side for
up to two years. I would consider that some pretty cheap insurance.
Jason Bader is principal of the
The Distribution Team, based out
of Portland, Ore. For details, visit
distributionteam.com.
8
Geosynthetics | August September 2022
The alternative
So what happens if the enforcement side of OSHA comes knocking on your door? For starters,
you are going to get a violation. I don't care how squeaky clean you think you are, an inspector
can always find something to write up. It's just like an IRS audit. Inspectors will almost certainly
find some reason to justify their time and energy on-site. There have always been rumors auditors
have quotas or receive bonuses for issuing citations. My contact with the service told me that
this was simply not the case. However, those inspectors who discover more citable violations do
tend to be promoted faster.
As anyone who has been investigated by OSHA can tell you, this is not a slap-on-the-wrist
event. Generally, first-time offenders without malicious or negligent intent can expect somewhere

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Geosynthetics August/September 2022

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