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Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Revised OSHA Field Operations Manual Enhances Compliance Assistance And Enforcement
A revised Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Field Operations Manual now provides OSHA Compliance Officers with a single source of updated information and guidance to more effectively protect employees from occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
The Field Operations Manual is the guiding document for OSHA's Compliance Officers, whose mission is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women. The manual assists Compliance Officers in scheduling and conducting inspections, enforcing regulations, and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. The manual also guides Compliance Officers on how to inform employers about cooperative programs—such as On-Site Consultation, Strategic Partnerships, and the Voluntary Protection Program—to help them eliminate potential or existing hazards from the workplace.
"The new Field Operations Manual is a comprehensive resource of existing OSHA policy and procedural documents," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler. "It gives Compliance Officers important guidance in implementing OSHA's balanced approach to workplace safety and health: enforcement, education and training, and cooperative programs. The Field Operations Manual will also be a resource for employees and employers, giving them a consolidated reference on how OSHA expects workplaces to be made safe and healthy. This is part of OSHA's continuing commitment to make its standards and enforcement activities transparent and understandable to all parties."
The Field Operations Manual (FOM), formerly called the Field Inspection Reference Manual, constitutes OSHA's general enforcement policy and procedures for use by the field offices in conducting inspections, issuing citations and proposing penalties.
Read the OSHA Field Operations Manual here (321 pages).
The significant changes in the new FOM are:
• Cancels and replaces the Field Inspection Reference Manual (FIRM).
• Cancels sections D. and E. of Chapter VI of the prior Field Operations Manual.
• Cancels Chapter XII of the prior Field Operations Manual.
• Will consist of the following chapters:
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Program Planning
Chapter 3. Inspection Procedures
Chapter 4. Violations
Chapter 5. Case File Preparations and Documentation
Chapter 6. Penalties and Debt Collection
Chapter 7. Post-Citation Procedures and Abatement Verification
Chapter 8. Settlements
Chapter 9. Complaint and Referral Processing
Chapter 10. Industry Sectors
• I. Agriculture
• II. Construction [Reserved]
• III. Maritime [Reserved]
Chapter 11. Imminent Danger, Fatality, Catastrophe and Emergency Response
Abstract-4
Chapter 12. Specialized Inspection Procedures
• I. Multi-Employer Workplace/site Policy [Reserved]
• II. Temporary Labor Camps
Chapter 13. Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs [Reserved]
Chapter 14. Health Inspection Enforcement Policy [Reserved]
Chapter 15. Legal Issues
Chapter 16. Disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
The Field Operations Manual is the guiding document for OSHA's Compliance Officers, whose mission is to assure the safety and health of America's working men and women. The manual assists Compliance Officers in scheduling and conducting inspections, enforcing regulations, and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. The manual also guides Compliance Officers on how to inform employers about cooperative programs—such as On-Site Consultation, Strategic Partnerships, and the Voluntary Protection Program—to help them eliminate potential or existing hazards from the workplace.
"The new Field Operations Manual is a comprehensive resource of existing OSHA policy and procedural documents," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler. "It gives Compliance Officers important guidance in implementing OSHA's balanced approach to workplace safety and health: enforcement, education and training, and cooperative programs. The Field Operations Manual will also be a resource for employees and employers, giving them a consolidated reference on how OSHA expects workplaces to be made safe and healthy. This is part of OSHA's continuing commitment to make its standards and enforcement activities transparent and understandable to all parties."
The Field Operations Manual (FOM), formerly called the Field Inspection Reference Manual, constitutes OSHA's general enforcement policy and procedures for use by the field offices in conducting inspections, issuing citations and proposing penalties.
Read the OSHA Field Operations Manual here (321 pages).
The significant changes in the new FOM are:
• Cancels and replaces the Field Inspection Reference Manual (FIRM).
• Cancels sections D. and E. of Chapter VI of the prior Field Operations Manual.
• Cancels Chapter XII of the prior Field Operations Manual.
• Will consist of the following chapters:
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Program Planning
Chapter 3. Inspection Procedures
Chapter 4. Violations
Chapter 5. Case File Preparations and Documentation
Chapter 6. Penalties and Debt Collection
Chapter 7. Post-Citation Procedures and Abatement Verification
Chapter 8. Settlements
Chapter 9. Complaint and Referral Processing
Chapter 10. Industry Sectors
• I. Agriculture
• II. Construction [Reserved]
• III. Maritime [Reserved]
Chapter 11. Imminent Danger, Fatality, Catastrophe and Emergency Response
Abstract-4
Chapter 12. Specialized Inspection Procedures
• I. Multi-Employer Workplace/site Policy [Reserved]
• II. Temporary Labor Camps
Chapter 13. Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs [Reserved]
Chapter 14. Health Inspection Enforcement Policy [Reserved]
Chapter 15. Legal Issues
Chapter 16. Disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Labels: osha information, OSHA Inspections, OSHA Signs
posted by Steve Hudgik |
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