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Workplace Safety and Health Inspections: Occupational Safety and Health Administration Announces Implementation of New Weighting System

October 08, 2019

By: Walter G. Wright

Category: Arkansas Environmental, Energy, and Water Law

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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced in a September 27th news release it has implemented what it denominates the “OSHA Weighting System” (“OWS”).

The OWS is being implemented for fiscal year (FY) 2020.

Goals of the OWS are stated to include:

  • encouraging the appropriate allocation of resources to support a balanced approach of promoting safe and healthy workplaces,
  • continuing development and support of a management system focusing on enforcement activities on critical and strategic areas where the agency’s efforts can have the most impact.

The OWS will replace OSHA’s current enforcement weighting system which was initiated in FY 2015. It is based on:

  • evaluation of existing weighting system criteria
  • a working group’s recommendations regarding improvements to the weighting system.

While the system will continue to weight inspections, other factors will also be considered such as:

  • agency priorities
  • impact of inspections

The system will incorporate three major work elements performed by the field:

  1. Enforcement activity
  2. Essential enforcement support functions
  3. Compliance assistance efforts

A copy of the news release can be downloaded here.

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