AOHP 2015 National Conference

Topic Overview: The record-breaking OSHA fines currently in the news are eye-popping. The Occupational Safety and Health Act has been in effect for 45 years, and no employer is given the benefit of the doubt if an interpretation of the OSHA requirements is questioned. With OSHA’s spotlight focusing on aggressive enforcement, occupational health professionals need to know and understand their rights and obligations before OSHA shows up at the door. Be prepared to face them with aggressive compliance.

If you work for one of the many healthcare facilities that grew somewhat lax about employee safety during the Bush Administration, now is the time to buckle down and evaluate your current regulatory compliance policies and practices. Would you be prepared if you opened the door today to find an OSHA Compliance Safety Health Officer (CSHO) ready to inspect your facility? Do you know the step-by-step approach to an OSHA inspection? Do you know your legal rights? Your failure to plan may constitute an emergency that will put unnecessary stress - human and financial - on your organization.  In this workshop, we will: discuss solid defenses to defend citations; review the top 25 violations written in hospitals; and offer helpful tips on ways to minimize exposure to costly OSHA penalties and negative public relations.

Objectives:

1. Describe the step-by-step process of an OSHA inspection.
2. Identify a plan to prepare for an OSHA inspection.
3. Describe the types of OSHA violations, penalty structures and potentially costly penalty factors.
4. Identify affirmative defense strategies to possibly avoid the issuance of citations and minimize the financial impact of violations.
5. Review OSHA’s new penalty structure and method for calculating fines.