No matter how prepared you feel you are, OSHA inspections can be stressful. It seems that there’s always something that should have been in place that isn’t or a minute detail that has been overlooked. You can be prepared for OSHA inspections with the help of T&M Cranes. Our team offers inspections to help you make sure that everything at your job site is in proper order and prepared for any unexpected inspections. Keep reading for five tips we have that will help you prepare in the meantime.
Assign responsibility
If you’re a project foreman or a contractor, it’s a lot of work to make sure that everything is in order for an inspection at all times. Delegate the responsibility across your team to ensure that every aspect of a possible inspection is covered. Furthermore, it will be easier to identify who has the necessary knowledge regarding a specific safety issue. You can always reference the experts for each part of a potential inspection to ensure that everything is up to standard.
Perform random hazard assessments
An OSHA inspector can stop by your job site at any time, so it’s important to be prepared to accommodate an inspection on a whim. You can essentially play the role of the inspector by performing random hazard assessments. Get an idea of what your job site looks like at any given moment. No matter how busy you are, these random assessments can be scheduled into your day so that you can take the time to recognize potential hazards within your job site.
Provide safety training
Few pieces of training are more dreaded by workers than those that focus specifically on training. However, if you regularly provide your team with safety refresher courses, those practices will be at the front of everyone’s mind and proper practices will be in place. This not only covers you with liability, but it works as a constant reminder to your workers to pay attention to the little things in their everyday work.
Be honest
When an OSHA inspector shows up, honesty is the best policy. If you’re unsure about the current state of equipment on your job site, let the inspector know. Answer all questions honestly, but don’t feel that you must divulge additional information. You can always consult the experts on your team to gain a better understanding of what’s going on with any specific items if you’re unsure. This is part of why assigning responsibility is crucial. Additionally, should your team accrue any fines from violations, those will likely cost your company much less financially than what you could be forced to pay out should there be an injury.
Know your rights
While it’s not ideal, you can always turn away an OSHA inspector. This is often a red flag to inspectors as they’ll likely assume that you’re trying to hide something on your job site. Though inspectors must obtain permission in order to perform an inspection of your company or job site.
Reach out to T&M Cranes for advice
At T&M Cranes, we’re about more than just providing cranes and hoists, we can help you prepare for OSHA inspections. Our team will perform inspections on your equipment and let you know where you’re up to code or lacking so that you can be prepared for any unexpected inspections. Give our team a call at 800-552-6720 and we’ll get you in touch with our nearest office. If you simply have questions regarding inspections, please don’t hesitate to reach out via our online contact form. We’ll be sure to get back to you promptly.
