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For the first time in 15 years, OSHA has revised a manual that guides its field officers in making inspections. It may have been written for inspectors, but the document contains a lot of useful information for companies, too.

The new Field Operations Manual replaces the Field Inspection Reference Manual published in 1994.

The most important section for companies is Chapter 3, Inspection Procedures.

The chapter includes:

• information on how inspectors choose their target companies
• the difference between comprehensive and partial inspections
• expectations at the pre-inspection conference
• review of a company’s own safety records (such as documentation of required training)
• the walk-around inspection itself
• the closing conference, and
• potential penalties.

You can download the manual for free here (document is a pdf, free Adobe Acrobat Reader required).

Tags: OSHA Field Inspection Reference Manual, OSHA Field Operations Manual, OSHA inspections