1. The Pennsylvania OSHA Consultation Program
25,000 Clients Can't Be Wrong

2. Federal Mandate Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
Enforcement
Consultation
Each State and US Territory must provide consultation
Funded by Federal OSHA - 90% and PA DOL&I - 10%
1 of 50 OSHA Consultation Programs nationally
1 of 12 university based programs… 2nd largest in U.S.

3. Primary Objectives Assist PA employers with:
complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Act
preventing occupational injuries, illnesses and disabilities
preserving their workers lives and livelihoods
minimizing property damage and costs
avoiding OSHA penalties, fines and criminal prosecutions
reducing workers compensation costs and third party liability exposures
attaining and sustaining business viability

4. History Housed at IUP since 1983
Recognized as an exemplary Consultation Program by OSHA
Serves as a model for other states
Rated as outstanding by employers consistently
Closely affiliated with the IUP “world-class” Safety Sciences program
IUP Safety Sciences offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs in occupational safety and health

5. Staffing Consultants strategically located throughout Pennsylvania
Highly experienced… year range
Board certified safety professionals and industrial hygienists

6. Designed for Smaller Businesses
Designed specifically for small to 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. OSHA Consultation Video (alternative YouTube video link HERE)

8. Services Performed Onsite Offsite Physical hazard evaluations
Industrial hygiene exposure monitoring
Regulatory required program assessment and development assistance
Regulatory required training assessment and delivery
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

9. 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 defining OSHA violations, correction recommendations and completion timelines
Correction assistance provided
Potential follow-up visits
correction verification
training

10. 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
Must refer to OSHA Enforcement if employer refuses to correct hazards…very rare!

11. Confidential Must maintain total employer confidentiality
Cannot divulge any information to:
OSHA Enforcement
lawyers pursuing liability cases
Protected from subpoena’s
Will not trigger an OSHA inspection…
may prevent one,
will definitely reduce the impact if one occurs

12. Impact on PA Employers Consultants visited over 25,000 PA worksites
Helped employers correct over 150,000 serious and other than serious hazards
Saved employers over $1 billion in potential OSHA fines since 1983
Assisted employers in preventing countless worker injuries / illnesses and deaths

13. Costs and Savings Free of charge to eligible employers Will lead to:
Avoided OSHA penalty and litigation costs
Reduced workers compensation costs
Minimized equipment damage and product losses
Additional cost savings …Safety and Health Consultants can cost employers $250+/hour
One consultant identifies an average of 7 serious and other-than-serious hazards, SAVING the employer approximately $90K in OSHA fines per visit

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

15. Two Other Important Reasons to Engage Us

16. OSHA’s New Penalty Structure
Type of Violation
Penalty
Serious Other-Than-Serious Posting Requirements
$12,934 per violation
Failure to Abate
$12,934 per day beyond the abatement date
Willful or Repeated
$129,336 per violation
Congress authorized OSHA to raise penalties every year going forward !

17. OSHA & Department of Justice Partnering
In 2016, the DOJ began pursuing federal Title 18 offenses
Providing false statements,
obstruction of justice,
tampering with witnesses or evidence,
conspiracy,
environmental or worker endangerment crimes.
Criminal Prosecution
Felony convictions
5 – 20 years in jail
significant financial penalties

18. 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
deferred from OSHA programmed inspections… for up to 3 years!

19. Pre SHARP - Inspection Deferral
Can’t meet all SHARP eligibility criteria
Committed to meeting SHARP requirements
Recommended for inspection deferral… up to 18 months

20. Conclusion
OSHA Consultation is a great service for Pennsylvania employers
We often hear “this is OSHA’s best kept secret”
Significant backlog of requests, approximately more than 300+ employers…nearly ½ year for entire staff
Repeat business… tells the story

21. Requesting Assistance
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22. Questions