June 26 – July 4 is Eye Safety Awareness Week

90% of occupational eye injuries could have been prevented if the victim was wearing eye protection.  If you workers are reluctant to wear eye protection, ask them what their lives would be like if they lost their vision. 

No business ever knows when Oregon OSHA is coming to do an inspection.  That’s because it’s against the law to give prior notice.  Even though employers don’t know that the inspection is coming, there are a few things they can do to make the inspection process go smoother.

 

All Oregon OSHA compliance officers carry ID and will present it, along with a business card, when they begin an inspection.  The compliance officer will collect basic information about the company, which may include how many workers are at the location and details about the type of work done.  Next, the compliance officer will conduct a walk-through of the facility and look for hazards that could cause an injury or accident.

 

In cases of extreme danger, a work site or piece of equipment can be “red tagged”, which prohibits the employer from continuing to work with the equipment or at the location.  But most commonly, a compliance offer will ask an employer to correct a hazard on the spot or set an abatement date.  Serious violations carry a penalty of $300 and correcting the violation before the end of the visit can reduce the penalty by 30%.

 

Continue reading “OSHA Audit – What to Expect?”