If you are not familiar with the Illinois On-Site Safety and Health Consultation service, it allows employers who have 250 employees or fewer on-site or 500 employees total to receive a full-service survey on safety and health issues. The survey can be comprehensive — which most employers prefer — or as limited as an employer wants.
The survey is done to identify hazards within the workplace. Serious hazards must be corrected within a reasonable amount of time. However, an extension can be granted if the employer is having some type of hardship and has provided employees with interim protection. A compliance inspection is done if an employer will not correct the serious hazard after the consultant has tried unsuccessfully to get the employer to eliminate it.
A consultant can conduct training and education sessions on-site, and it is usually in an informal setting. The employer and employees are usually present. An employer can request a consultant provide training.
Before a consultant arrives, it is best to gather the health and safety information that he or she may want to look at during the visit. This might include an Occupational Safety and Health Administration 300 log.
A safety survey will cover such areas as working surfaces and material handling, as well as electrical, mechanical and fire hazards. A health survey focuses on harmful levels of heat, radiation, noise, biological agents and chemical agents. A consultation may also be scheduled for noise and air sampling, assistance with an OSHA complaint or respiratory protection compliance.
Inspections and surveys such as these can help reduce workplace accidents, injuries and deaths. Workers should know that they can file an anonymous complaint with OSHA to report safety and health hazards in the workplace.
