ChecklistGeneralOSHA-Proofing Your Company
An inspection response plan exists so that the least experienced person at the front desk on a Tuesday morning does not have to improvise. It should be one page, laminated, and known by everyone who could plausibly greet a visitor.
Before: the standing setup
- Name a primary inspection coordinator and two backups. Post the phone numbers at reception.
- Assemble a document binder (physical and digital) containing the standard request set, updated monthly.
- Pre-designate a conference room for the opening conference and document review.
- Buy a dedicated camera or phone for parallel documentation — you want your own photo of every condition the CSHO photographs.
- Decide in advance who is authorized to sign anything, and make clear that no one else signs.
- Train supervisors on what they may and may not say, and that they must not obstruct or coach.
The first 15 minutes
- Reception greets the CSHO politely, does not grant floor access, and calls the coordinator.
- Coordinator arrives, presents themselves, and requests credentials.
- Coordinator escorts the CSHO to the designated room and begins the opening conference.
- Record the stated scope, the triggering reason, and the CSHO's name and office.
- Notify leadership and, if the matter is serious (fatality, catastrophe, willful allegation), counsel.
During the walkthrough
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Stay with the CSHO for the entire route | Let the officer walk unaccompanied |
| Photograph exactly what they photograph | Interfere with their photography |
| Answer questions truthfully and narrowly | Speculate, guess, or volunteer unrelated history |
| Abate obvious hazards immediately and note the time | Hide, stage, or shut down an area to conceal a condition |
| Keep a written log of everything observed and said | Rely on memory for a closing conference days later |
| Route employee questions to the coordinator | Instruct employees what to say in interviews |
After the closing conference
- Write a full internal debrief within 24 hours, while recollection is fresh.
- Complete and document abatement of everything raised, with dated photos.
- Audit every other area and site for the same condition — this is what prevents a repeat classification.
- When citations arrive, note the 15-working-day deadline to contest. Missing it makes the citation a final order.
- Decide deliberately between informal settlement conference, contest, or acceptance — each has different consequences for repeat exposure.
The 15-working-day clock starts when you receive the citation, not when you finish investigating it. Calendar it the day it arrives.
The one-page version
If you build nothing else from this article, build the one-pager: who to call, where to bring the officer, what documents are where, who signs, and the 15-day reminder. It takes an afternoon and it changes how the first hour goes.
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