Proactive and strategic planning to adhere to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements not only bolsters a safe workplace environment but could potentially lead to significant strategic business advantages. According to a recent article on JDSupra, maintaining low OSHA injury and illness rates may be more important than some employers realize.
High OSHA rates can have severe implications for businesses. Businesses may face the loss of contracts, being pre-screened out of bids, and heighten the chance of having OSHA on site for an enforcement visit. Additionally, OSHA uses Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data to compare individual employer rates to those of their peer group, thereby building targeted visit lists and applying this comparative data during enforcement visits.
Given such potential challenges and outcomes, businesses striving for regulatory compliance and aiming to foster a safe working environment must ensure consistent and thorough reporting in their OSHA 300 Logs, which track work-related injuries and illnesses.
Implementing effective safety measures, ensuring accurate reporting in OSHA 300 Logs, and maintaining low OSHA rates can ultimately contribute to business success. Thorough planning, strict adherence to OSHA guidelines, and an invite to OSHA (voluntary protection programs or SHARP recognition) for positive reinforcement, can oust many of the difficulties and potential risks associated with high OSHA rates.
The overarching takeaway: Corporate strategic planning must include ways to keep OSHA rates low. Legal and safety teams in the corporate world should carefully weave these considerations into their overarching operations strategy, to not only comply with the law but also reap potential business benefits.