Penalty Reductions
OSHA considers the size of the employer, among other
factors when determining the penalty to be proposed for any violation. The
Agency has always had detailed procedures in place for making this
determination; they are currently embodied in Chapter IV of the Field Inspection
Reference Manual (FIRM; OSHA Instruction CPL 2.103), which is conveyed to and
followed by all compliance staff.
The FIRM provides that proposed penalties will be reduced by the following
percentages in considering employer size:
-
60% penalty reduction may be applied if an employer has 25 employees or fewer;
-
40% if the employer has 26-100 employees; and
-
20% if the employer has 101-250 employees.
Exemptions
from Recordkeeping
OSHA also has fewer recordkeeping requirements for very
small business. Employers with 10 or fewer employees are exempt from most OSHA
recordkeeping requirements for recording and reporting occupational injuries and
illnesses.
Consultation
Consultation offers free help in identifying workplace
hazards and establishing or improving safety and health management systems
corporate-wide. Employers in high-hazard industries or involved in hazardous
operations receive priority. Largely funded by OSHA, consultation programs are
run by state agencies and offer an array of services.
Key Services offered by Consultation:
- Help in recognizing hazards in the workplace.
- Suggested approaches or options for solving a safety or health problem.
- Sources of help available to a company needing further assistance.
- Written reports that summarize the findings of on-site reviews of safety and health.
- Assistance in developing or maintaining an effective safety and health
management system.
- Training and education for a small business and its employees at the
workplace and, in some cases, away from the worksite.
- Recognition by OSHA's Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program
(SHARP).
Benefits from Consultation:
An effective workplace safety and health management system
at a small business worksite(s) will enable the small employer to:
- Recognize and remove hazards from the worksite.
- Protect an employer’s workers from injury and illness.
- Prevent loss of life at an employer’s worksite.
- Cultivate informed and alert employees who take responsibility for their own and their coworkers’
safety and for worksite safety as a whole.
- Improve employee morale.
An increased understanding of workplace hazards and
remedies will put small business managers in a better position to:
- Comply with federal and state safety and health requirements.
- Become more effective at their jobs. Management experts believe that the
company with a well-managed safety and health system enjoys better overall
management.
- Increase productivity rates and assure product quality.
An exemplary workplace safety and health management system
is good business sense that also makes financial sense because it will allow a
small business to:
- Learn first-hand that the cost of accident prevention is far lower than the cost of accidents.
- Improve the bottom line by:
- Lowering injury and illness rates.
- Decreasing workers’ compensation costs.
- Reducing lost workdays.
- Limiting equipment damage and product losses.
Safety and
Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP)
Through SHARP, the On-site Consultation Program recognizes
exemplary employers who take special pride in providing a safe and healthful
working environment for their employees and who meet specific program criteria.
Employers who qualify receive a 1-year exemption from OSHA’s general schedule
inspections. After 1 year of certification, the small employer may request
renewal for 1 or 2 years, provided the site meets specific program criteria.
Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)
The Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) promote effective
worksite-based safety and health. In the VPP, management, labor, and OSHA
establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a
comprehensive safety and health management system. Approval into VPP is OSHA's
official recognition of the outstanding efforts of employers and employees who
have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health.
Compliance Assistance Specialists (CAS)
Each OSHA Area Office in states under federal jurisdiction has a Compliance
Assistance Specialist. These staffers respond to requests for help from a
variety of groups, including small businesses. CAS’s put on seminars and
workshops for small businesses and other groups. They promote OSHA’s cooperative
programs, OSHA’s training resources, and the OSHA web site.
Alliance Program
OSHA Alliances are the agency's newest form of cooperative
programs. Alliances enable organizations committed to reducing workplace
injuries and illnesses to collaborate with OSHA to reach out to, educate, and
lead the nation's employers and their employees in improving and advancing
workplace safety and health. Compliance assistance resources produced by various
Alliances benefit small businesses. For example, OSHA’s Alliance with the Tree
Care Industry Association will produce training materials and promote OSHA’s
compliance assistance resources for tree care companies, many of which are small
businesses.
OSHA Small
Business Handbook
The OSHA Small Business Handbook is one of OSHA's most requested publications.
The handbook assists small business employers in meeting the legal requirements
imposed by the OSH Act of 1970 and in creating and maintaining effective safety
and health management systems. Recent revisions to the handbook incorporated
comments and suggestions from small business employers and small business trade
organizations from across the country, and it now includes new and improved
industry checklists. The updated handbook is available on the OSHA Web page at
OSHA Small Business Handbook [PDF
- 261 KB]
or in hard copy from OSHA's Publications Office at 1-800-321-OSHA.
Training and
Education
Third-Party Training and Education --
OSHA gives training and education grants to various non-profit groups to develop
programs to help small businesses establish safety and health programs and
materials that they make available to small businesses
OSHA’s Training Institute (OTI) and OSHA’s Training Education Centers across the
country provide basic and advanced courses in safety and health. OSHA’s area
offices offer information services, such as audiovisual aids, technical advice,
and speakers for special engagements. In addition, the Training Centers have
begun offering one-day or one-half-day seminars to increase opportunities for
small business employers to attend safety/health training.
Susan Harwood Training Grants Program – Training and educational programs for
small businesses is a priority for the grants program. The program has funded
Small Business Development Centers.
Electronic Tools
and Resources
OSHA standards, interpretations, directives, interactive
software, compliance assistance materials, e-Tools, and additional information
are available or can be ordered online at
www.osha.gov.
OSHA’s computer-based training software provides assistance to small employers
through its Expert Advisors and eTool software on topics such as hazard
communication, asbestos, cadmium, confined spaces, fire safety, and lead in
construction. eTools are "stand-alone," interactive, Web-based training tools on
occupational safety and health topics. They are highly illustrated and utilize
graphical menus. Some also use expert system modules, which enable the user to
answer questions, and receive reliable advice on how OSHA regulations apply to
their work site.
Publications
OSHA has many published materials, including specific topics for small
businesses, that are available or can be
ordered online.
Accessibility Assistance:
Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200
for assistance accessing PDF materials. |
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