Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
No.inspection.will.occur.during.a.strike,.work.stoppage,.or.picketing.unless.the.
area. director. approves. such. action. and,. usually,. this. would. be. due. to. extenuating.
circumstances.(e.g.,.an.occupational.death.inside.the.facility)..The.steps.of.an.OSHA.
inspection.include.the.following:
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1.. The.inspector.becomes.familiar.with.the.operation,.including.previous.cita-
tions,. accident. history,. and. business. demographics.. The. inspector. gains.
entry.. OSHA. is. forbidden. to. make. a. warrantless. inspection. without. the.
employer's.consent..Thus,.the.inspector.may.have.to.obtain.a.search.war-
rant.if.reasonable.grounds.for.an.inspection.exist.
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2.. The.inspector.will.hold.an.opening.conference.with.the.employer.or.a.rep-
resentative.of.the.company..It.is.required.that.a.representative.of.the.com-
pany.be.with.the.inspector.during.the.walk-around.and.a.representative.of.
the.workers.be.given.the.opportunity.to.accompany.the.inspector.
.
3.. The.inspection.tour.may.take.from.hours.to.days,.depending.on.the.size.of.
the.operation..The.inspector.will.usually.cover.every.area.within.the.opera-
tion.while.assuring.compliance.with.OSHA.regulations.
.
4.. A.closing.conference.will.be.conducted.for.the.employer.to.review.what.the.
inspector.has.found..The.inspector.will.request.an.abatement.time.for.the.
violations.from.the.employer.
.
5.. The. area. director. will. issue. the. written. citations. with. proposed. penalties.
along.with.the.abatement.dates.to.the.employer..This.document.is.called.the.
“Notiication.of.Proposed.Penalty.”
oshA receIves A comPlAInt
OSHA. gathers. information. and. decides. whether. to. send. a. compliance. ofice.
(inspector).or.inform.the.employee.about.a.decision.not.to.inspect..The.time.period.
for.response.is.based.on.the.seriousness.of.the.complaint..The.usual.times.are
.
1.. Within.24.hours.if.the.complaint.alleges.an.imminent.danger
.
2.. Within.3.days.if.the.complaint.is.serious
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3.. Within.20.days.for.all.other.complaints
cItAtIons
If. violations. of. OSHA. standards. are. detected,. then. the. citations. will. include. the.
following.information:
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1.. The.violation
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2.. The.workplace.affected.by.the.violation
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3.. Denote.speciic.control.measures
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4.. The.abatement.period.or.the.time.to.correct.the.hazard
Copies. of. the. citation. should. be. posted. near. the. location. of. the. violation. for. at.
least.three.days.or.until.the.violation.is.abated,.whichever.is.longer.
