Florida Marine Contractors Association
a Florida Non Profit Corporation

The Worst Four-Letter Word

Posted on May 27 in News

Dave Lowell, Ram Marine Services, Inc.

Are you OSHA compliant? If an OSHA inspector walked in your front door this morning and asked to look at your operations would you be worried? Would you even know some of the things the inspector would be looking for? Are you more likely to have an OSHA inspector or an IRS inspector walk in your front door? Which one of them would scare you more?

I have had the privilege of having this experience. While I can truthfully say it has not topped my list for fun and enjoyment I can say that I was moderately prepared and handled it as well as can be expected. What you need to get from this article is that you are not immune from OSHA and that it can happen to you any day and that you need to know their rules and comply with them.

First off, you can find the rules online. Google ‘OSHA 1926’ and it will lead you to a website that lists them. I have included a list of some pertinent chapters below. Read them thoroughly.

Second, be nice. You may not be thrilled to see them but if you don’t cooperate or are aggressive to them they will bite back – and HARD. Try your best to work with them and not against them. Each inspector has a lot of latitude in what they cite you with. In other words, they can actively overlook things or just point them out to you without actually citing you for them. On the other hand, they can also look harder for things they may be missing.

Third, be prepared for them even if you aren’t expecting them. You should have basic practices that you keep up with regularly. Safety manuals. Safety meeting records. Pertinent Log Books. Form 300’s. By simply handing the inspector my Safety Books with all my records for many years it immediately put him in a different frame of mind. He realized I wasn’t willfully violating rules. It was the easiest way to quickly develop a level of respect from him.

Lastly, take a deep breath and get ready to be diverted from your normal routines for the next few weeks

Remember that OSHA is an agency that is dependent on fines for revenue. And their fines are stiff. This isn’t going to be a parking ticket. Most fines are in the four digit range. Some are in five digits. And it’s rare that they will only cite you with one fine.

So, are you reading this article and saying to yourself “There is no way I can get my company to meet these standards”? I admit that it can be a daunting task at first look. But there are resources at your disposal to help you along the way. The best suggestion I can give is to contact USF about their program. They can give you a lot of information and documentation to get you started. They offer a free safety consultation program. That’s right. FREE. The only major requirement is that you have to follow through on it.

www.usfsafetyflorida.com

We all want our companies and jobsites to be safe. None of us want accidents and higher Work Comp premiums. None of us want worker lost time. So, get started in the right direction and be thinking about safety now.