New Documents Detail OSHA Inspection Role

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released two new fact sheets describing its inspection process and the agency's role in investigating occupational deaths. The "OSHA Inspections" document lists agency inspection priorities, explains phone/fax investigations, details the step-by-step process of an on-site inspection, describes how results are handled, and tells how employers can appeal OSHA citations and penalties.

The other fact sheet, "OSHA's Role When a Worker Dies on the Job," provides details on employer responsibilities for reporting fatalities, describes specific agency steps in investigating workplace deaths, notes agency assistance available for families of deceased workers, and includes information on criminal referrals in cases where there is sufficient evidence of willful violations of OSHA standards that caused the death of a worker.

"OSHA is committed to strong, fair, and effective enforcement of agency safety and health requirements," says the OSHA administrator, John Henshaw. "We want to be sure that employers, workers, and the public understand our general inspection procedures and our part in responding to worker deaths on the job."

For more information and to obtain copies of the fact sheets, visit www.osha.gov on the Web.