Which companies are on OSHA’s target list now?

Which companies will receive OSHA inspections in Fiscal Year 2020 (which began Oct. 1, 2019)?

No one can provide an exact list.

But OSHA’s FY 2020 budget request, updated Field Operations Manual (FOM) for its inspectors and a statement about its new weighting system for inspections provide enough clues so companies know whether they’re more likely to be inspected.

Here’s what we now know:

4 inspection priorities

The FOM, which took effect Sept. 13, 2019, lists four priority levels for inspections:

• First: Imminent Danger – conditions where a danger exists that could reasonably cause death or serious physical harm

• Second: Fatality/Catastrophe – OSHA defines catastrophe as the hospitalization of an employee, an amputation or physical loss of an eye

• Third: Complaints/Referrals, and

• Fourth: Programmed Inspections – these occur where known hazards (combustible dust, chemical processing, falls in construction) exist.

Exceptions can be allowed by OSHA Area Directors due to a National, Regional or Local Emphasis Program, and follow-up or monitoring inspections.

On the other hand, companies that participate in voluntary compliance programs (Consultation, SHARP and VPP) may be exempt from programmed inspections. Companies that are part of OSHA Strategic Partnerships or Alliances are not exempt.

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