Did you know that if your company has fewer than 500 employees, your job site can receive a mock OSHA inspection by a team from Georgia Tech? The Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, offers free, confidential on-site consultation services for companies that employ less than 250 employees at a fixed worksite and fewer than 500 employees total.  Companies that participate in this program will receive numerous services, including walk-through surveys to help facilities reach “in-compliance” status with federal standards, observations of work practices to identify possible causes of injuries and evaluations of technical programs such as Confined Space Entry, Hazard Communication and others. The Georgia Tech consultants will perform the inspections using the standard identification and classification procedures as though they were OSHA compliance officers, and in turn the employer must agree beforehand to correct all problems identified by the consultant and provide written proof of improvements within four to six weeks.

 Choose Your Own Level of Inspection

 The Georgia Tech team offers two different levels of assistance: limited or full-service. Limited assistance provides companies with help for OSHA rules and regulations of specific processes or areas of concern, such as safety, health or program management. Full-service assistance is for companies that want their entire facility to meet OSHA standards. With this level of examination the Georgia Tech staff will identify physical hazards throughout the facility, evaluate all technical programs, and review the safety and health management programs. At the end of both types of site visits, the Georgia Tech team will provide recommendations for corrections of hazards and of technical and management systems.

 The Benefits

 There is an added benefit to having the Georgia Tech team visit your jobsite. Besides receiving a free confidential survey, your company may also be acknowledged by the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP). To receive SHARP recognition your company must utilize the Georgia Tech Consultation program for up to one year, correct all problems and hazards, reduce your Lost Workday Incidence Rate and Injury Incidence Rate to below the national average for the industry, agree to additional visits if there are significant changes to the jobsite that might present new dangers, and overall, have a company that demonstrates an exemplary dedication to workplace safety. Receiving this kind of recognition means that not only will your company have fewer and less severe injuries and therefore a reduction in workers’ compensation costs, you will also receive a certificate of recognition from the Assistant Secretary of Labor and will be exempt form general scheduled OSHA inspections for one year.

 The Georgia Tech Team

Who will be visiting your jobsite? The Georgia Tech consultant you are most likely to see on site for a survey is Thomas A. Dean, a certified safety professional. Dean graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health and received a Masters in science and management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Before moving to Georgia, Dean worked with Florida’s Department of Labor as a safety and health program development analyst, and is now a research scientist interested in formulating comprehensive safety and health management systems.

Another Georgia Tech consultant is Arthur Wickman, a certified industrial hygienist. Wickman has a Masters of Science in industrial hygiene, and has worked with the Missouri Department of Health. Wickman has been employed at Georgia Tech since 1992 and is now a research scientist interested in consulting employers on worker safety and health.

 Signing Up

To get more information on the Georgia Tech Safety and Health Consultation Program, visit their website at www.oshainfo.gatech.edu. If you would like to request assistance you can find a form to download online at www.oshainfo.gatech.edu/request-consultation.html, or you can contact Diane Knobloch, the systems administrator, at 404-894-2646.