Certain obligations must be met, including agreeing to correct all serious hazards found during the

visit in an agreed-upon time frame.

The On-Site Consultants Will

• Meet with the employer and, at times,

employees or employee representatives;

• Walk-through the worksite with the employer

and employees;

• Review company injury and illness rates;

• Help identify hazards in the workplace;

• Identify kinds of help available for further

assistance;

• Give detailed findings in a closing conference;

• Provide a written report summarizing findings;

• Assist the development or maintenance of an

effective safety and health program;

• Provide training and education for the employer

and employees;

• Recommend the site for a one-year exemption

from OSHA programmed inspections, when

SHARP criteria are met.

In rare instances, the consultant may find an

“imminent danger” situation during the walkthrough. If so, the employer must take immediate

action to protect all employees. Other situations –

those which would be judged a serious violation

under OSHA criteria – require the employer and

the consultant to develop a plan and schedule to

eliminate or control the hazard.

The On-Site Consultants Will Not

• Issue citations or propose penalties for violations of OSHA standards;

• Report possible violations to OSHA enforcement staff;

• Guarantee that your workplace will “pass” an

OSHA inspection.

The service is delivered by state governments

using well-trained professional staff. Consultations take place on-site, though limited services

away from the worksite are available. However,

consultations cannot take place during an enforcement inspection, and may not take place until

citations, if any, have been issued and become

final orders.

Primarily targeted for smaller, high-hazard

businesses, OSHA’s safety and health consultation

program is completely separate from the OSHA

inspection effort. In addition, no citations are

issued or penalties proposed.

Confidentiality will be strictly maintained during

the consultation process. The consultant will only

report hazard information to OSHA if the employer fails to correct an imminent danger or serious

hazards.

The employer’s only obligation will be to commit

to correcting serious job safety and health hazards

– a commitment which is expected to be made

prior to the actual visit and carried out in a timely

manner.

Getting Started

Since consultation is a voluntary activity, employers must request it. A telephone call or letter sets

the consulting machinery in motion. The consultant will discuss specific needs with the employer

and set up a visit based on the priority assigned

to the request, the employer’s work schedule, and

the time needed for the consultant to prepare for

the visit. OSHA encourages a complete review of

a firm's safety and health situation; however, an

employer may limit the visit to specific problems.

FactSheet

The OSHA Consultation Program

Using a free consultation service funded by the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), employers can find out about potential hazards at their

worksites, improve their occupational safety and health management systems, and

even qualify for a one-year exemption from routine OSHA inspection.
Hazard Correction and Follow-Through

The consultant will send to the company a

detailed written report about 20 days after the

closing conference that explains the findings and

confirms agreed upon correction periods. A list

of hazards is included in the report and must be

posted electronically or in an easily observable

area by employees for three days or until the listed hazards are corrected. Consultants may also

contact the business from time to time to check

progress, and employers may always contact

them for assistance. Employers using the consultation service are deferred from OSHA’s scheduled

inspections while the consultation remains “in

progress.” This period encompasses the time

between the onset of the consultation and the

final correction dates, including any extensions.

Ultimately, OSHA does require hazard correction

so that each consultation visit achieves its objective – effective employee protection. If there is a

failure to eliminate or control identified serious

hazards (or an imminent danger) according to the

plan and within the limits agreed upon, the situation is referred from consultation to an OSHA

enforcement office for appropriate action.

Benefits

Knowledge of workplace hazards and ways to

eliminate them can only improve the company’s

operations – and the management of the firm.

Employers receive professional advice and assistance on eliminating or preventing workplace

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or

standards. It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of

compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal

Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.

The voice phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: (877) 889-5627.

hazards via the on-site hazard survey or the on-site

training from the consultant. The consultant can

help establish or strengthen an employee safety

and health program, making safety and health

activities routine considerations rather than crisisoriented responses. Improving workplace safety

and health also brings fewer accidents, lower

injury and illness rates, decreased workers’

compensation costs, and limits product losses.

Consultations will also help the entire company

comply with OSHA standards.

SHARP

Employers may participate in OSHA’s Safety and

Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)

or a similar state program. This program is

designed to provide incentives and support to

employers to develop, implement and continuously

improve effective safety and health programs at

their worksite(s). SHARP provides for recognition of

employers who have demonstrated exemplary

achievements in workplace safety and health by

receiving a comprehensive safety and health consultation visit, correcting all workplace safety and

health hazards, adopting and implementing effective safety and health management systems, and

agreeing to request further consultative visits if

major changes in working conditions or processes

occur which may introduce new hazards.

Employers who meet these specific SHARP requirements may be exempted from OSHA programmed

inspections for a period not less than one year.

U.S. Department of Labor

www.osha.gov

(800) 321-OSHA

For more complete information: