OSHA Announces New Program to Target for Inspection Workplaces with High Injury and Illness Rates

Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced the agency was initiating a Site-Specific Targeting (SST) inspection program. The program’s goal is to target workplaces with high injury and illness rates using information electronically submitted by employers for calendar year 2016. OSHA will also be inspecting establishments that should have provided 300A data, but did not.
 
According to the announcement of the SST initiative, “This program helps OSHA ensure that employers provide safe and healthful workplaces by directing enforcement resources to those workplaces with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses.” The plan specifically targets non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more employees.
 
“This SST is based on 2016 injury and illness rates. That year there was a 7% increase in fatal work injuries over the prior year,” said Jeffrey Miller, PhD, CIH^® and Chair of ABIH^®. “In total for 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there were 5,190 fatal work injuries. While perhaps not all of these fatalities and the countless injuries and illnesses that occurred that year could have been prevented, many could have with effective health and safety programs in place.”
 
Leading the efforts to prevent injuries, illnesses and workplace fatalities are a group of highly trained professionals known as Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIHs). These dedicated industrial hygienists are called upon by leading companies and institutions across the globe to develop and manage health and safety programs. CIHs identify workplace hazards to protect workers and communities. They are trained to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control a wide range of chemical, physical, biological, and ergonomic stressors. Health risk analysis, hazard communications, work environments, and industrial processes are all key components of the CIH^® program. This comprehensive knowledge base helps employers to protect the health and safety of workers, while also avoiding costly OSHA noncompliance citations and workers’ compensation claims.
 
To learn more about the American Board of Industrial Hygiene^®, the Certified Industrial Hygienist^® credential, or to locate a CIH^® to perform industrial hygiene services, please visit www.ABIH.org or email abih@ABIH.org .  For information about the Qualified Environmental Practitioner (QEP^®) credential or Environmental Professional In-Training (EPI) designation, visit www.IPEP.org or email ipep@IPEP.org .  Please call (517) 321-2638 for questions about ABIH or its credentials and designations.
 
About the American Board of Industrial Hygiene ^®
Since 1960, ABIH^®, a not-for-profit corporation, has been the world’s largest organization for certifying professionals in the practice of industrial hygiene. ABIH^® is the premier credentialing body responsible for ensuring high-quality certification including education, experience, examination, certification maintenance, and ethics enforcement. ABIH^® also administers the Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP^®) credential for established environmental practitioners and the Environmental Professional In-Training (EPI) designation for early-career practitioners. Currently, more than 7,600 people around the world hold the CIH^® credential, QEP^® credential, or EPI designation. 
 

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail