If you’re an employer or the owner of your own business, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specific rules and regulations that govern your workplace. If you fail to follow these rules, you can receive penalties, fines, and even end up in court if an employee gets injured or sick due to unsafe working conditions in your place of business.
The purpose of this article is to discuss what hiring an OSHA consultant can do for your business, as well as provide some information on who these consultants are and how they can benefit your company.
Stay up to date on changing laws:
While you can read up on laws and their requirements, it’s even better to work with a company that specializes in keeping track of changing regulations. OSHA is one such example; it’s best to have a consultant do your bidding so you don’t run afoul of its changing rules, which tend to change every year or two.
An expert can also alert you when changes occur, so that if changes impact what your business does, there’s time to adjust your practices accordingly.
Avoid Fines
Fines from OSHA, whether you’re considered liable or not, can be costly. At minimum, it will cost you time and money to defend yourself against fines from OSHA. If you’re found liable, it could cost your business tens of thousands of dollars in fines (or more). No matter how your liability turns out, hiring a health and safety consultant can help keep your costs down. A professional consultant can help ensure that your business is following all necessary regulations and policies—and doing so correctly. This helps eliminate any risk of liability on your part and keeps you safe from fines.
Minimize Liability Risks
If your employees come across a harmful substance or if something in your facility breaks, you may be held liable for any injuries suffered. By hiring a consultant, you’ll have them go through and inspect all areas of your business to make sure you are prepared in case anything ever goes wrong. This way, you won’t have to worry about someone else coming after you; you can be confident that it was your consultant who covered all of their bases.
It’s also important to note that there is no standard level of safety required for businesses—only recommendations—so even if you follow these recommendations, another party could still sue you. But by following those guidelines and having a third-party consultant verify they were followed, your chances of being successfully sued will greatly decrease.
Improve Safety Culture
According to one report, small businesses have a significantly higher risk of accidents and injuries on job sites than do larger companies. Hiring a safety consultant can help you recognize potential hazards, and make changes to improve your work environment—and your employees’ well-being. In addition, consultants will train your staff in best practices and encourage them to follow proper procedures.
This type of support is crucial when it comes to maintaining a safe work site; with so many different hands working together, there are bound to be slip-ups from time to time. A consultant will ensure that everyone is practicing safe behaviors at all times.
Enhance Productivity & Performance
When you’re operating in a dangerous work environment, whether it’s due to hazardous equipment or unsafe workplace conditions, productivity and performance are likely to suffer. In fact, unsafe work environments are linked to higher levels of injury and worker absenteeism. By partnering with OSHA, your business can improve employee morale and boost bottom-line results by reducing occupational hazards. It’s easy to see how investing in safety can make sense from a business perspective.
It’s also critical from a legal perspective; many companies that fail to address potential hazards run afoul of local, state and federal regulations, which could result in costly fines or even criminal charges against owners or managers.
Prevent Worker Injury/Illness
If you don’t have an on-site EHS professional to guide you through safety protocols, it can be hard to stay up-to-date with all of OSHA’s constantly changing regulations. Hiring a third party helps ensure your business is protected from legal ramifications and reputational harm that may come with worker injury or illness.
By hiring an independent consultant, your business also ensures that you receive objective advice based on data rather than personal opinion. And because consultants are hired as independent contractors, they are not subject to conflicts of interest like some in-house staff might be—they will always work in your best interest.
Explore further on our blog by visiting https://www.foysafety.com/news/ for more information.