As Fuyao Glass America Inc., a manufacturer in Moraine, Ohio, learned the hard way when faced with over $700,000 in fines, being unprepared for a Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program inspection can be costly. Over $160,000 of their fines were for 13 serious violations, and the remainder (over $560,000) includes 6 repeat violations.
Organizations are already facing these fines
Reasons for the fines include violations related to confined spaces, fall and hearing protection, lockout/tagout procedures and training, machine guarding, and personal protective equipment. Fuyao Glass America Inc. also received citations for various other inadequacies.
Who is at risk?
The Site-Specific Targeting (SST) Inspections are for workplaces with 20 or more employees. They are added to the inspection plan based on:
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High Rate Establishments: Establishments with elevated days away, restricted, or transferred rates (DART). OSHA uses different DART rates for manufacturing and non-manufacturing in an attempt to achieve a 50/50 balance for inspections.
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Low Rate Establishments: OSHA identifies representative establishments with low DART rates to address potential concerns regarding under-reporting of injuries and illnesses in the 2016 300As.
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Non-Responders: Establishments that did not electronically submit 300A reports will receive additional attention regarding recordkeeping, likely including citations for failing to electronically submit.
Remind clients to:
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Audit 2019 OSHA logs for accuracy and completeness
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Electronically submit 2019 300A data by March 2, 2020
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Ensure all 2017, 2018 and 2019 OSHA records are complete and that you have all 300, 300A and 301 forms
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Use OSHAlogs for simple electronic submission
OSHAlogs success story
Jennifer Stanton - HR and Safety Manager for MasterFinish Company, a metal plating company in West Michigan (100+ employees)
MasterFinish Company utilizes our OSHAlogs program and recently was surprised by OSHA with a visit. Jennifer stated that OSHAlogs put them in a great spot, with all the information they needed, when they needed it. Here’s what she said:
“We had a surprise visit and...right away they wanted...my OSHA logs. They wanted, you know, the last three years. I was able to go on, hit print, go back, was able to show him everything. He was able to look. He said we completed everything, there was nothing missed. He was very, very impressed, he said normally a company stumbles, they don’t know where to find it, they don’t have the information, and it was all there and he had all the information in five minutes.”
Check out this guide today to help clients avoid huge SST fines!