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

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 exemplaryConsultation 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… 20-40 yearrange • 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 • 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, email 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 • Freeof chargeto 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 costemployers$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 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 • Phone: 800-382-1241 • Website: http://www.iup.edu/pa-oshaconsultation

22. Questions