OSHA Can and Will Use Employers’ Internal Safety Audit Reports as a Roadmap to Cite Them: What Employers Can Do to Protect Themselves

Since a July 28, 2000 Final Policy was published in the Federal Register, OSHA has maintained it will not use an employer’s own, voluntary safety and health audit as a roadmap to identify and issue citations against it. According to the Final Policy, while OSHA may in some circumstances request internal audit reports, “the Agency will not use [them] as a means of identifying hazards upon which to focus during an inspection.” Employers are thereby encouraged to proactively identify and then correct hazardous conditions in the worksite without fear of self-incrimination.

Read more on the Arent Fox OSHA Team blog Managing OSHA.