What You Need to Know About OSHA Inspections
Employers often wonder what their chances are for an OSHA inspection. While almost any employer could be inspected on any given day, certain factors increase the likelihood of an inspection, including:
- Imminent danger — often triggered by a call from an employee or member of the public, a referral from another agency or a plain-view observation.
- Fatality/catastrophe — triggered by incidents involving a death, hospitalization, amputation, or loss of eye.
- Worker complaints and referrals — triggered by allegations of hazards or violations.
- Targeted inspections — triggered by National Emphasis Programs, and Regional and Local Emphasis Programs.
- Follow-up inspections — triggered by citations issued in the past. OSHA conducts follow-up inspections to ensure hazards have been abated at a specific facility and other locations of the same company where it believes similar hazards likely exist.
OSHA conducts approximately 40,000 inspections per year, resulting in adjusted penalties of approximately $35 million.
What triggers inspections most often?
The following table shows how frequently different types of OSHA inspections generally occur. Employers should take note of programmed inspections, which OSHA conducts to target certain industries, hazards, or workplaces.
In addition, employers should realize that reporting a serious injury to OSHA increases the chances of either a phone investigation or onsite inspection. While employers can’t prevent inspectors from showing up, they can be prepared by knowing the likelihood of an inspection.
Federal OSHA Inspections — By the Numbers
| Reason for inspection | Description | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| National, regional, local emphasis programs |
| 40-50% of all inspections |
| Complaints | Most commonly from employee complaints | 25% of all inspections |
| Referrals from other agencies | Referrals from local building inspectors, EPA inspectors, etc. | 13% of all inspections |
| Follow-up from prior inspection | OSHA often conducts follow-up inspections of employers who have previously been cited | Varies |
| Plain view | More common in the construction industry, where OSHA inspectors drive by a jobsite and notice a potentially unsafe situation | Varies |
| Severe injury reports | When employers report a fatality, hospitalization, amputation or loss of eye, or OSHA learns of these through media reports or other sources | 1,800 per year |