OSHA inspection

System

We got inspected due to an ee complaint. I was not there during the inspection and this is the first year I have been in charge of the OSHA reporting and OSHA log. The manager who was there came to me frantically demanding an osha log. 2002 log is complete but he wanted the 2003. I was under the impression that the log is only submitted to the DOL once a year and put up for the ee's between Feb. and April. He told me that the osha guy said I had to submit it quarterly. Any clarification?

Crout

Try this link:

[url]http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9635[/url]

Balloonman

I am going off the top of my head, have an interviewee waiting, but you must record entries in the log withing 6 days of the injury, and you must have this years log "available". If it is not up to date, tidy it up then let the OSHA inspector see it.
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman.

sonny

I agree with DJ..tho I can't remember # of days within which you must enter. I remember that it is to be current, not done only quarterly or annually.

Sunny

Your OSHA log does have to be kept current - I record (in pencil) as accidents occur. I keep the log, with the accident reports and all paperwork pertaining to each incident, in a looseleaf notebook. When OSHA comes to call I hand them my previous years' logs and the current year's notebook. Of course, all the lost time numbers may not be up-to-date because of ongoing incidents, but the OSHA inspector has always been satisfied with work-in-progress,

The log has to be posted annually and you will have to report to the DOL annually as well.

Don D

This brings to mind something we were taught in last week's safety/OSHA seminar. The instructor was a JJ Keller professional who has been closely associated with the subject and has gone through OSHAs rigorous training program for it's own personnel. He does this sort of training all over the country to all sorts of industries. He recommended that we all should have an 'inspection plan of action' that is automatically triggered the moment an inspector shows up at the door. He said that most times the company employees are scurrying about, running into each other, trying to figure out what they can or must do and having no clue as to how many hours they can delay, whether or not they can send the inspector away and require a warrant (which you can do) or what you can 'demand' of the inspector. A simple plan of action might not have prevented this in your case, but at least you would have had the inspector in a room cooling his heels until you arrived. You can also require an opening meeting during which you can ask to be told what he wants to see. Our trainer suggested that proper planning and organization are key to proper response. And you would not have had some other manager running up demanding something of you and throwing you off guard. You also have four (4) hours to produce anything requested.

E Wart

Good luck, we had one earlier this year in our CT plant due to the ratio on our OSHA 300's.
You should record any recordable accident right away and keep this updated. However, I have never heard that the report has to be submitted quarterly, and we just went through audit.
However, I don't know if your audit is state or federal (ours in CT was federal. We had one in NC last year that was state and came through with flying colors.). Your state may have a different rule. I would check that as well.
I do suggest that you have one of the higher ups to be actively participating in the audit. They want someone to talk to that can make decisions and changes, not just the person on the line.
E Wart

System

Don D you described my managements response to a T. I am laughing hysterically as I type!
I was not invited to the show and when I told them afterwards that they could have sent them away they refused to believe me. I told them that that info came straight from the guy who is going to help our negotiations with osha and who lives and breathes osha for a living and he STILL refused to believe me.
I know, I know "look for another job" as I have been advised by many of you. But the word is that this upper management is not going to survive for very much longer and I love this place and it's mission.
I do keep track of every accident in the workplace with each ee having a seperate file for each incident that has occured and all the subsequent paperwork. It's the actual osha 300 log form that I am concerned about. Can I use the onethat I get on the osha site on the web instead of ordering them from G Niel as my predecessor did?

Sunny

Just download the 300 from the OSHA site - you certainly don't need to pay someone to dowload it for you. It's an OSHA form and their version is the official one.

System

That's kinda what I figured. The only thing that made me hesitate is that they look a little different. My predecessor was my boss with experience and education in HR so I figured that she knew something I didn't.

Sunny

Nope - I have always used the OSHA forms I downloaded or, (before downloads) requested directly from OSHA (for free). After all, it's their form. It's like state and federal posters (OSHA, minimum wage, etc.) I always get mine directly from the government - at no cost - either by calling the agency or downloading, and throw away all the junk mail solicitations I get. You know the ones - "ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE - DO YOU KNOW YOU COULD BE FINED?" Nothing wrong with people trying to make a buck but I have better uses for mine that paying for what I can get for free.

Don D

I was told the 300, 301 and 300a have been revised for 2004.

Pork

"Dandy Don" you are correct again, we have our next years software on hand and waiting for our computer guru to come from NC to install the new system. OSHALOG is our software program, and it does everything for you from A to Z and all of the changed reports. The system will printout the B-1 and keep days out, restricted, etc. and print out the 300 report after each new accident/injury which you keep on hand in the file and discard the ole form that is not up to date. Each case is maintained in our corporate vault with a worksite working copy should that manager come running to me for the document he/she got with the 1st accidentw/injury. The inspector can then come to the home office to review the details and the original signed forms. I highly recommend the OSHALOG SOFTWARE SYSTEM, IT WORKS FOR US WITH 15 DIFFERENT WORK SITES.

PORK