Procedures for dealing with unannounced visits from outside agencies

Marsha

Anyone have guidelines in place to deal with visits from law enforcement authorities, unannounced OHSA inspection, EEOC, subpoenas, etc., that they would be willing to share? We need to implement an action plan for our staff.
Any examples would be appreciated.

Don D

Hello Marsha. Welcome. Our policy is as follows: Any OSHA inquiry is immediately referred to the Safety Manager. An inspector who might show up must sit in the lobby and wait for that staff member to come to him. EEOC events are likewise referred to the H.R.Director and that visitor must sit in the lobby and wait for me to come to him or her. We recently also put in place a policy for reacting to subpoenas and other situations where people show up at the company with some degree of (perceived) authority wanting to serve papers. In that event, reception calls H.R. Director and advises. Director goes to lobby and has a conversation with the person to determine what's up. In the past we had bail bondsmen and women showing up with some unidentified officer who have handcuffed and hauled off employees. We won't allow that degree of humiliation and embarassment any more. We have pissed off more than one officer/bondsman/process server who thought themselves to be the Gestapo. We respect our employees and do what we can to ensure a certain level of decorum. If there is an arrest warrant in hand, obviously the H.R.Director doesn't get in the way of it; but, still tries to maintain a balance of reasonableness.

Anita

We do things pretty much the same way as Don. And yes the "gestapo" tactics have some people scared into doing what they ask. I have always told them sorry, you will have to try and catch them off our property.

As far as officer's showing up with warrants I discreetly have the employees manager ask them to see me in my office or the conference room, telling them that I need some information about insurance or something. I don't want to cause a scene and any more embarrassment to employees then necessary.

Margaret Morford

If OSHA shows up to inspect, you have the right to send them to get a subpoena before you let them in. However, when they return a few days later, they will really mad and will throw the book at you. I always have them escorted to my office, try to warm them up a little so they like us, ask what the complaint is and then have the safety person take them to inspect whatever they want to look at. Of course, by the time the safety person gets there to tour them, about 30 minutes have gone by in which the Plant Manager is madly scrambling to set anything right he/she can having been warned by me that OSHA is here.

Margaret Morford
theHRedge
615-371-8200
[email]mmorford@mleesmith.com[/email]
[url]http://www.thehredge.net[/url]