{"id":12220,"date":"2020-01-01T13:33:48","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T13:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/?post_type=articles&p=12220"},"modified":"2020-02-11T18:21:34","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T18:21:34","slug":"occupational-safety-and-health-administration-osha-inspection-weighting","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/occupational-safety-and-health-administration-osha-inspection-weighting\/","title":{"rendered":"Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Inspection Weighting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

OSHA has a new method to monitor and prioritize its inspection and citation activity. This new \u201cOSHA Weighting System\u201d replaces the OSHA \u201cEnforcement Weighting System,\u201d and it could be a welcome relief to safe employers.\u00a0For employers that are conscientious about safety, the change should mean that OSHA spends more resources policing dangerous employers and extreme hazards.<\/p>\n

It used to be that OSHA area offices were primarily concerned with the total number of inspections as the primary measure of activity. The more, the better, or so the saying goes.\u00a0But even OSHA states that this method had its drawbacks: \u201cWhile this metric served a useful purpose,\u201d OSHA admitted, \u201cit created an unintended incentive to complete less demanding inspections rather than those requiring a greater amount of field resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the old system, it may have appeared that OSHA compliance officers were paid some bonus for every citation they identified.\u00a0For example, when a compliance officer showed up following a complaint related to ladder safety, the employer might end up with a dozen citations for all kinds of unrelated issues.\u00a0Among other seemingly tame hazards, the employer could be cited for a fraying power cord, a flickering exit light, debris in an aisleway, and a portable fire extinguisher that was 1 week past the annual inspection deadline.<\/p>\n

Many employers have experienced that, and it could be maddening:\u00a0No recordables for 5 years and a top-notch safety program, yet a bag of citations as a reward.<\/p>\n

But this began to change in 2016.\u00a0That year, OSHA sought to focus more effort on high-priority areas and not just raw numbers.\u00a0As such, it started measuring its activity by the amount of time it took for various kinds of inspections.\u00a0Inspections were measured in \u201cenforcement units\u201d related to time. For example, fatality investigations had a large number of enforcement units, while Rapid Response Investigations had the least.<\/p>\n

Under the new OSHA Weighting System, OSHA seeks to focus inspection and citation efforts on safety priorities and high hazards. In September 2019, the agency issued a statement describing the new approach, indicating that it is designed to \u201csupport a management system that focuses enforcement activities on critical and strategic areas where the agency\u2019s efforts can have the most impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

That does not necessarily mean that OSHA will no longer pile on the citations for seemingly minor transgressions, but it does mean that OSHA will be more oriented to significant workplace hazards.\u00a0\u201cThe new system will continue to weight inspections,\u201d OSHA stated, \u201cbut will do so based on other factors, including agency priorities and the impact of inspections, rather than simply on a time-weighted basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

As such, the new system will reportedly focus more attention on the construction industry\u2019s \u201cFatal Four\u201d hazards: electrocution, fall, struck-by, and caught-in and between hazards.\u00a0These 4 hazards account for roughly 60% of all workplace deaths and will receive 3 enforcement units, unless they are part of a criminal case or fatality. Criminal cases will receive 7 enforcement units, and fatalities will receive 5. Heat, ergonomic, and workplace violence hazards will each receive 2.<\/p>\n

It remains to be seen whether this new weighting system will result in more or fewer inspections and citations, but one thing is clear: Investing in safety pays dividends.\u00a0Employers with solid safety programs, including training and enforcement, have fewer workplace injuries.\u00a0This will keep OSHA at bay and employees productive and healthy.\u00a0So regardless of how OSHA prioritizes its activities, employers should always prioritize safety.<\/p>\n

Copyright statement <\/strong><\/p>\n

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In September 2019, OSHA issued a statement that described the agency\u2019s new approach to inspections, which will reportedly focus more on critical safety areas. Doug Jenks explains what this shift may mean for employers and what they can expect. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":[415],"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[32,487,488],"class_list":["post-12220","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","category-health-and-safety","category-487","category-january-2020","author-douglas-s-jenks"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOccupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Inspection Weighting - Insulation Outlook Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/occupational-safety-and-health-administration-osha-inspection-weighting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Inspection Weighting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In September 2019, OSHA issued a statement that described the agency\u2019s new approach to inspections, which will reportedly focus more on critical safety areas. 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