Janet Schmidlkofer
K&N Electric Motors, Inc.
Hearing the words “OSHA inspection” will make most U.S. service center managers cringe. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, is charged with the enforcement of safety and health legislation in the U.S.
This past year, K&N Electric Motors was honored with an “invitation” from OSHA to provide a “tour” of our Spokane Valley location. You can’t imagine what went through our minds. Well, maybe you can. We were somewhat uneasy about what to expect, to say the least.
Setting up OSHA “tour”
So with trepidation, we scheduled a plant tour with what is called the “consultation” side of OSHA. The OSHA team, Karen and Bob, conducted a typical inspection beginning with a two-hour discussion of K&N’s safety program, our general work culture and why they asked for this tour in the firstplace. They explained that the reason for the inspection was because over the last few years our number and severity of injuries had been steadily rising. They felt we would welcome their input.
As it turns out, as they reviewed our current accident/injury record, it was evident that we had already made great strides and improvements. But they wanted to help us improve that record even more!
We were all a bit surprised by the existence of the educational aspect of OSHA that is completely confidentialand not shared (immediately) with the regulatory side of the organization. They explained that “anything found will not be reported but listed as deficient and given time for action.” They added that if the problems aren’t taken care of, then they will be turned over to the regulatory side.
How did we do?
Well, let’s just say there was a list of items, but the overall cost to address the problems was minimal and well worth the increased safety for K&N employees. We also benefted greatly from the knowledge and tips that came from the two OSHA inspectors. A few examples of areas needing attention were:
- lack of signage
- need to improve our record keeping for overhead crane inspections
- ensure that all secondary containers were marked correctly
- complete lifting chain inspections
- conduct eye wash station inspections
- an assortment of other minor adjustments.
The larger areas of concern included the lathe chip and chuck guards and rotor lifting devices. Yes, you can work with a chuck guard on a lathe; and no, you cannot weld a chain onto a lifting device.
K&N determined remedies
Another important note: K&N was allowed to determine the remedies rather than the inspectors. We certainly borrowed from their expertise, but by allowing us to specify the fixes we were able to keep our costs down while keeping the level of safety high.
We were invited to schedule annual inspections, free of charge for the next year or two. The inspections keep you up to date on new laws. And in the event you do have a regulatory audit, the finesare greatly decreased. Most importantly, these inspections provide you with the option to ask for help and get the right resources for questions you ask — without the heavy burden of fines.
Avoid the horrible feeling and anxiety that usually go along with an OSHA inspection. Go ahead and invite them in now!
Print