June 21, 2006—The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced May 31 that its 2006 site-specific targeting plan will focus on approximately 4,250 high-hazard worksites for unannounced comprehensive inspections over the coming year, beginning June 12.
This year’s program will initially target sites that reported 12 or more injuries or illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activity, or job transfer for every 100 full-time workers (known as the DART rate). The list will also include sites that have a “days away from work injury and illness” (DAFWII) rate of 9 or higher.
The program stems from the agency’s Data Initiative for 2005, which surveyed approximately 80,000 employers to attain their injury and illness numbers for 2004.
OSHA will again inspect nursing homes and personal care facilities, focusing first on the 50% with the highest rates. Inspections will focus primarily on ergonomic hazards relating to resident handling; exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials; exposure to tuberculosis; and slips, trips, and falls.
The agency will also randomly select and inspect about 175 workplaces (with 75 or more employees) across the nation that reported low injury and illness rates, for the purpose of reviewing the actual degree of compliance with OSHA requirements.
In addition, the agency will include in its initial inspections some establishments that did not respond to the 2005 data survey.
