Writing a reasonable regulation, even one tailored to the needs and capabilities of small businesses, is not enough. OSHA has numerous programs designed to reach small employers and provide them the information and assistance they need to make their workplaces safer and more healthful. The OSHA Consultation Program offers onsite, expert assistance to small employers to help them comply with OSHA requirements and establish effective safety and health programs. The Consultation Program is OSHA-funded and operates in all fifty states. Highly skilled OSHA consultants provide, free of charge, advice to employers on how to identify and abate workplace hazards, training of employers and their employees on safety and health issues, and assistance in developing and implementing comprehensive safety and health programs.
Priority is given to small firms in high-hazard businesses.
In 1994, the OSHA consultation program provided assistance to more than 23,700 employers. This year we are preparing to focus our efforts even more on employers with high injury rates or serious health problems who are willing to establish a program to reduce those injuries and health exposures. We will evaluate state projects on their impact in these areas. Those who do so through OSHA's Consultation Program, may be rewarded for their exemplary efforts by receiving a special certificate of recognition from OSHA that also exempts them for one year from general schedule OSHA inspections. We are exploring a longer period of exemption for employers who have sustained success for more than one year.