Numbers that will put you on OSHA’s inspection list

OSHA is giving very specific guidance as to which companies with high rates of workplace injuries can expect to see an OSHA inspector soon.

The 4,100 companies on the list were identified from a larger list of 15,000 employers who reported high injury rates to OSHA and who received a notification from the agency that they should “take immediate steps to protect their workers.”

The smaller list of 4,100 is called the Site-Specific Targeting primary inspection list. In an OSHA compliance directive, the agency spelled out what it took to get on the list:

• Manufacturing establishments with a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate at or above 7.0, or a Days Away from Work Injury and Illness (DAFWII) case rate at or above 5.0
• Nursing and personal care facilities (i.e., establishments in Standard Industrial Classification code 805) with either a DART rate at or above 16.0 or a DAFWII case rate at or above 13.0
• Other non-manufacturing establishments with a DART rate at or above 15.0 or a DAFWII case rate at or above 14.0

More details on this directive are available in an excellent article by Eric J. Conn and James A. Lastowka of the McDermott Will Emery law firm. Conn and Lastowka go on to say that a number of companies on the list have already been inspected and fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.

If you are concerned about the possible arrival of an OSHA inspector, read my article “How to meet the challenge of greatly increased OSHA enforcement.”