The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (known as OSHA), announced in June that over the next several months it will be making unannounced visits to up to 4,500 employers. The targets of the inspections rank as the “most dangerous workplaces in the United States” according to a Department of Labor spokesperson.

The good news is the agency has stated that the chosen inspections will be culled from around 13,500 employers that received letters from OSHA in April. The April letters cautioned those employers that they had illness and injury rates higher than the national average and they should start taking measures to address the problems. So, if your company did not get a letter, you should not be on “the list.” If you did, ACT NOW.

On the list or not, if your company is in an industry conducive to injury, take the necessary steps to comply with OSHA standards. I know it is expensive both in actual cost and time spent. But, think of it like this, how expensive might it be if someone gets injured, or worse yet, killed from an accident that the company could have prevented.

By Sharolyn C. Whiting-Ralston, swhiting-ralston@dsda.com