Successful Consultation Tips

In preparation for your consultation visit, we recommend the following:

• Have four (4) years of OSHA 300, 300A and 301 forms ready for review (current year plus three years previous). If you would like for us to do an advance comparative analysis of how your company is performing vs. other companies in your industry sector, we will need the OSHA 300A forms sent to us as soon as possible after you receive this letter.
• Any OSHA required programs you’ve already prepared should be readily available for review and discussion. You can download free sample programs from our website. All of our sample programs are generic and will require further preparation and modification by you for OSHA compliance purposes.
• Please make arrangements for your top management to be present for our opening and closing conferences, at a minimum.
• Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can get done today! Be ready to take corrective actions as the consultation progresses.
• Having supervisors and key maintenance people readily available during the walk around survey is an excellent way to get things done. 

Remember, the more we can get corrected and out of the way while we’re onsite, the less you have to track and remember to report back to us. Let’s use the occasion of our visit to energize your safety efforts!

On the day of your consultation, we recommend that management take an active, hands-on role in the process – especially as it pertains to hazard corrections.

We encourage you to be prepared to correct serious hazards while we are onsite, although we realize that may not always be possible. If serious hazards cannot be fully removed or controlled during the consultation, we will develop an action plan for corrections with specific target dates.

Depending on the seriousness of the hazards, those dates may range from 10 to 30 days from the date of our visit. Short term interim protective measures may be necessary and would be implemented by you either during the consultation or soon afterward.

Following the consultation we will send you a written report that details our findings, provides our recommendations for hazard corrections and provides other supporting materials as needed. Simply return response forms to us on or before the agreed-upon correction dates with the appropriate abatement documentation and signatures. Follow-up visits are performed on occasion for verification purposes.

Time extensions may be granted for circumstances or problems beyond the reasonable control of the employer. Unjustifiable delays will not be granted extensions. Documentation of your interim controls and an action plan for completion of abatement will be needed for any extension request. It should be noted that OSHA is not bound by our hazard classification or by our recommendations. You are not required to provide OSHA with a copy of your written report.

A list of serious hazards will be provided with your report. This is to be posted in an area where employees may view the list and there it must remain posted until all hazards are corrected.