Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) consultants can make a life or death difference in your company. OSHA is known for strict rules and regulations dictating workplace safety. These rules, however, were created for a reason. The lives and safety of employees is top priority. Occupational safety consultants can help you identify and correct safety violations before they become too dangerous.

While lives and safety is the first concern, no business owner can overlook the financial implications of OSHA safety violations. If an inspector arrives at your company and finds safety violations, you could get a fine up to thousands of dollars. Don't be caught off guard. OSHA consulting firms can help you before problems arise.

OSHA specialists can help you identify and correct problem areas. Occupational health consultants and OSHA consultants can help you prevent costly governmental fines. There are 3 things OSHA experts will do for your company.

1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration consultants will review your operations and pinpoint potential violations.

2. They communicate ways to correct potential violations.

3. Occupational health consulting and OSHA consultants will teach you how to prevent problems from arising in the future.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Educate yourself and your employees before occupational health consultants step inside your door

Before you decide to hire an Occupational Safety and Health Administration consultant, know the rules and regulations that apply to your industry. Arm yourself and your employees with OSHA video and training information. Make sure you know everything there is to know about safety in your line of work. The less time the consultant needs to go over basics, the better.

I recommend: One of the best places to start researching occupational safety compliance is in the Guide to OSHA Requirements for Small Business. It includes vital information about how to spot violations and what to do to prevent injuries or citations. National Safety Compliance is another great place to arm yourself with knowledge. It provides a large database of training and informational products for you and your employees to digest.

Request free occupational health consulting services

Not all occupational health consultants charge a fee. While some companies make money selling their services, other organizations consult for free.

I recommend: Perhaps one of the best places to search for occupational safety compliance help is at OSHA's own website. This governmental organization offers a free consultant program that utilizes skilled professionals. Citation writing does not occur during the consultation. The Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes companies that take great strides to improve their facilities based on the recommendations.

Hire an occupational safety consultant

You may not know where to turn when looking for OSHA consulting services. There are online databases designed to aid business owners find the right consulting firms.

I recommend: ExpertWitness.com includes one of the largest selections of OSHA consultants for litigation support. Osh.Net lists occupational medicine consultants. Safety Unlimited sends OSHA trainers to plants and offers online OSHA compliance training. Safety Resources will assess the potential OSHA compliance issues at your plant. Find more OSHA consulting companies at ThomasNet.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Participating in SHARP and utilizing OSHA consultants exempts your company from OSHA inspections for 1 year.