Lowering Premiums is Our Business

M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

28605 Ranney Pkwy Westlake, OH 44145

Blog

News and Updates

Category: Osha Inspections

OSHA's Aggressive Stance Continues

Posted By Brandy King
July 21, 2023 Category: Safety Consulting, Osha, Osha Compliance, Osha Inspections, Informal Conference, Citations, Loto, Safety Training

Things aren't slowing down at OSHA. If you feel like they've been mentioned in the news a lot lately, that's because they're keeping very busy. Workplace safety enforcement has added significant manpower and has been much more active than in previous years. Inspections have increased in number, as well as in breadth and depth, which is why it’s a great time to give your company a safety tune-up. There have been plenty of other regulatory distractions for management teams in 2023, which may have led to a reduction in attention to detail with required safety compliance programs. Pair that with the current OSHA administrator's aggressive background as the chief of Cal-OSHA, and your company should have a renewed desire to review OSHA compliance matters. This should include all of your written programs, as well as sub-elements under those programs.  When is the last time you updated your health & safety written programs?  When is the last time you checked to ensure all of your training is up to date and documented? When is the last time you completed a safety walk-through of your facility, with corrective action taken for any identified discrepancies? What are your compliance weaknesses? (Maybe you're not even sure) What are the underlying safety deficiencies contributing to your workplace injuries, leaving you vulnerable to OSHA penalties, and what are you doing to correct those issues?   These a

OSHA Renews Focus on Healthcare Facility COVID Inspections

Posted By Brandy King
March 10, 2022 Category: OSHA, OSHA Inspections, Focused Inspection Initiative, COVID 19, Patient Care, Nursing Homes, Hospitals, HAL, UPA, RRI

There’s certainly been no shortage of OSHA news recently, and their most recent push is aimed at the healthcare industry. From March 9, 2022 through June 9, 2022, OSHA will begin a focused, short-term inspection initiative directed at both hospitals and skilled nursing facilities that treat or handle COVID-19 patients. The goal is to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and all of its variants, and ensure the overall health and safety of healthcare workers who are at a higher risk of being exposed to the virus in the workplace. The initiative will supplement OSHA’s existing targeted enforcement under the National Emphasis Program (NEP) for COVID-19.  OSHA will use these partial-scope inspections to gauge employer compliance efforts as well as readiness for future COVID surges. These specific inspections will also make up 15% of OSHA’s inspections in each region during the three-month period.  If your business falls under the following NAICS codes:  622110 General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (NCCI Codes 8833, 9040) 622210 Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (NCCI Codes 8833, 9040) 623110 Nursing Care Facilities/Skilled Nursing Facilities (NCCI Codes 8824, 8826) 623312 Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (NCCI Codes 8824, 8826) And also meets any of these criteria:  Follow-up inspection of any prior inspection where a COVID-19-related citation or hazard alert letter (HAL) was issued; Follow-up or monitoring inspections

OSHA Site Specific Targeting (SST)

Posted By Brandy King
March 07, 2022 Category: Safety, Osha, Osha Inspections, Osha Sst, Informal Conference, Osha Abatement, Site Specific Targeting, Osha 300a, Recordkeeping, Investigations, Safety Services

The Site-Specific Targeting (SST) plan is OSHA’s main site-specific programmed inspection initiative for non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more employees. OSHA will generate inspection lists based on elevated Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rates for 2019, and sites with upward trending rates for the three-year range of 2017-2019. They will also identify a random sample of establishments that did not provide them the required 2017, 2018, and 2019 Form 300A data. To verify data accuracy and quality control, OSHA also intends to include a random sample of low-rate establishments from the 2019 data. 1.    High-Rate Establishments  The SST plan selects individual establishments for inspection based on 2019 Form 300A data. Since average DART rates vary widely among industries, OSHA will set one DART rate for manufacturing and a different DART rate for non-manufacturing as objective selection criteria.  2.    Upward Trending Establishments  OSHA will identify establishments with rates above their industry’s national average in 2017 that have continued to trend upward in both 2018 and 2019 and continue to remain above their industry’s national average.  3.    Low-Rate Establishments  To verify the reliability of the Form 300A data reported to OSHA, the agency will generate a random sample of establishments with low DART rates using the 2019

Be Prepared for OSHA’s Omnipresence

Posted By Brandy King
January 21, 2022 Category: Osha, Safety, Osha Inspections, Workplace Safety, Abatement, Informal Conference, OSHA Settlement Negotiations,

 The advertisement on the front page of OSHA.gov says a lot: “OSHA is Hiring!  Apply Now.”  Workplace safety enforcement has added significant manpower and has been much more active than in previous years.  Inspections have increased in number, as well as in breadth and depth, which is why it’s a great time to give your company a safety tune-up.    There have been plenty of distractions in 2021, which may have led to a reduction in attention to detail with required compliance programs. Pair that with the new administration's aggressive OSHA stance, and your company should have a renewed desire to review their OSHA Compliance. This should include all of your written programs, as well as sub-elements under those programs.  When is the last time you have updated your health and safety written programs? When is the last time you checked to ensure all of your training is up to date and documented? When is the last time you completed a safety walk-through of your facility, with corrective action taken for any identified discrepancies? What are your compliance weaknesses (or maybe you’re not even sure)?   What are the underlying safety deficiencies contributing to your workplace injuries, leaving you vulnerable to OSHA penalties, and what are you doing to correct those issues?   These are the types of questions that our Spooner Safety team can help you answer, and get you on the right track

Surprise, It's OSHA! Dos and Don'ts for Surprise Inspections

Surprise, Its OSHA! Dos and Donts for Surprise Inspections

Posted By Brandy King
June 09, 2021 Category: OSHA, OSHA Inspections, Surprise Inspection, Opening Conference, Informal Conference, OSHA Compliance, Safety, LO/TO, OSHA 300, Recordkeeping

Under the new administration, we have already seen a significant difference in approaches compared to the previous ones. Here is a recent example: An employee gets his arm caught in a machine and is hospitalized. Historically, in addition to the standard 5 years of OSHA 300/300A - OSHA would be looking at the machine and requesting the Lock Out/Tag Out (LO/TO) program. Now when OSHA shows up, it may look more like this: They look at the machine, request LO/TO and their written HazCom GHS program, Employee Orientation (onboarding) program, all LO/TO training documentation for Authorized and Affected employees, PPE Hazard Assessments, work instruction/training on machine in question, and Forklift Training Documentation. Is all of this requested material directly related to the incident? Not exactly - but they're going to expect you to supply it, regardless.  Having said that, Spooner is encouraging all of our clients to review their OSHA Compliance, which should include all your written programs, sub-elements under those programs, and your facility. If you think you have nothing to worry about, ask yourself this: Once OSHA is in our facility, could we supply all of that requested documentation?    Speaking of having OSHA at the door, we get a lot questions (and panicked phone calls) on that subject. To help you navigate that anxiety-inducing situation, here are some basic steps to take if you receive a “surprise” vis

Categories
General (75)
Safety (24)
Ohio BWC (23)
Ohio Bwc (22)
OSHA (21)
Workers Compensation (19)
Group Retro (15)
(12)
Compliance (11)
HR (9)
Osha (9)
Payroll (9)
FMLA (8)
PEO (7)
ACES (7)
2018 Group Retro (6)
Workplace Safety (6)
COVID 19 (6)
Safety Training (5)
Group Rating (5)
True Up (4)
2019 Group Retro (4)
Ohio Workers Comp (4)
Workers Comp (4)
MEP (4)
Human Resources (4)
Workers\' Comp (4)
Informal Conference (4)
DOL (4)
osha (4)
ohio bwc (4)
Reserves (4)
FFCRA (3)
Claims Management (3)
Recordkeeping (3)
OSHA ETS (3)
401k (3)
Benefits (3)
Injury Reporting (3)
Tpa (3)
Hearing Conservation (3)
workers comp (3)
Osha Inspections (3)
OSHA 300A (3)
ohiobwc (3)
EMR (3)
Outsourcing (3)
SI PEO (3)
OSHA Compliance (3)
Recordable (2)
1099 (2)
True Up Reporting (2)
PWFA (2)
Unemployment (2)
Professional Employer Organization (2)
Independent Contractors (2)
Bwc Update (2)
OHio BWC (2)
Open Enrollment (2)
Occupational Health (2)
2020 Group Retro (2)
ADP Fees (2)
Osha Compliance (2)
Retirement Plans (2)
Premium Savings (2)
Overcharging (2)
payroll (2)
drugtesting (2)
Dividends (2)
Additional Fees (2)
Ohio (2)
Group Retro Assessment (2)
Paychex Fees (2)
group retro (2)
NEP (2)
OSHA ITA (2)
OSHA Injury Reporting (2)
401(k) (2)
Employee Benefits (2)
Reportable (2)
Remote Work (2)
Payroll Processing Fees (2)
Workers\' Compensation (2)
safety (2)
Employee Retention (2)
Surety HR (2)
Legal Update (2)
AED (2)
CPR (2)
First Aid (2)
Secure 2.0 (2)
Retirement (2)
Federal Contractors (2)
HR Outsourcing (2)
Vaccine Mandate (2)
Workers\\\' Comp (2)
BWC Premiums (2)
Salary Continuation (2)
Reporting (2)
Construction (2)
Ohio BWC Dividends (2)
MCO (2)
Ohio Business (2)
Consulting (2)
Heat Illness (2)
Occupational Safety (2)
MIRA (2)
ARPA (2)
Program Placement (2)
EFMLA (2)
OhioBWC (2)
Finance (2)
FLSA (2)
OSHA Inspections (2)
Employee Leave (2)
15k Program (1)
Dfsp (1)
daytonmuseums (1)
One Claim Program (1)
ohioplanetarium (1)
sciencemuseum (1)
Missing Refunds (1)
2 Hour Training (1)
ohioSTEMlearning (1)
non profit (1)
childrensmuseum (1)
Fairfax Memo (1)
ITAreporting (1)
Combustible Dust Nep (1)
hearingconservation (1)
regionalemphasisprograms (1)
ohiozoo (1)
Handicap Reimbursement (1)
STEMcamps (1)
2023 Bwc Rates (1)
2018GroupRetro (1)
Hr Update (1)
Plans (1)
PUMP Act (1)
Spooner Safety Series (1)
Non Compete Ban OSHA Penalty (1)
Reimbursement Fund (1)
Important Deadlines (1)
missingrefunds (1)
Disability Management (1)
Ohio Workers\' Comp (1)
Bwc Rate Reduction (1)
Ohio Safety Congress (1)
Soft Tissue Injury (1)
Walking Working Surfaces (1)
Workplace Injury (1)
Slips Trips Falls (1)
Ohio Minimum Wage (1)
grantmoney (1)
heatillnessstandard (1)
Holiday Parties (1)
Cash Payment (1)
Transfer Of Experience (1)
Polcy Combination (1)
MA (1)
Acquisitions (1)
Mergers (1)
Christmas Parties (1)
Lawsuits (1)
Legal (1)
15K (1)
Employee Benefits Checklist (1)
Group Retro Refunds (1)
Ohio Workers Comp (1)
Costumes At Work (1)
Food Safety (1)
Halloween Party (1)
Accident Reporting (1)
Gap Analysis (1)
Paying Cash For Treatment (1)
Deductibles (1)
2022oshareview (1)
MCO Open Enrollment (1)
regulations (1)
ergonomics (1)
safetyintervention (1)
safetygrant (1)
Training (1)
Health And Safety (1)
2023 programs (1)
premium savings (1)
Managed Care Organization (1)
COBRA (1)
Spooner Medical Administrators (1)
1910.134 (1)
PFT (1)
Written OSHA Programs (1)
Respirator Fit Testing (1)
Respiratory Protection (1)
Claims Costs (1)
American Rescue Plan ACT (1)
EPSL (1)
Employment Law (1)
Opening Conference (1)
Severance (1)
parcelservice (1)
ohiomarijuanalaws (1)
employeebenefits (1)
Retirementplans (1)
reasonablesuspicion (1)
employeetraining (1)
employmentpolicy (1)
drugfreeprograms (1)
DFSP (1)
courierservice (1)
ohioissue2 (1)
amazondsp (1)
distro (1)
warehpuse (1)
forkliftoperator (1)
workplacesafety (1)
oshaNEP (1)
2024 py (1)
safety council (1)
Loto (1)
marijuanalegalization (1)
legalupdate (1)
Safety Consulting (1)
EEO 1 Reporting (1)
Form 300 (1)
Form 301 (1)
Electronic Recordkeeping (1)
Drug Free Safety Program (1)
Ohio Bwc EM Cap (1)
Transitional Work (1)
DEI (1)
Harassment (1)
EEOC (1)
workplacediscrimination (1)
Regulatory Agencies (1)
NLRA (1)
NLRB (1)
Fiduciary Definition (1)
529 (1)
Roth (1)
Retirement Contributions (1)
NLRBsection7 (1)
overtimeexemptions (1)
Citations (1)
commercialdriver (1)
Overtime Rule (1)
2023mcoopenenrollment (1)
Top Managed Care (1)
Best Ohio Mco (1)
Ohio Mco (1)
Mco Open Enrollment (1)
Group Retro Lawsuit (1)
group rating (1)
workers compensation (1)
2023 base rates (1)
Mcoreportcard (1)
heatillness (1)
Mcoopenenrollment (1)
Mco (1)
Ohiobwc (1)
Ohio Bwc Workers Comp Ncci Manual Codes Base Rates (1)
Public Relations (1)
Catastrophic Claim (1)
Industrial Commission (1)
Safety Software (1)
White Collar Exemption (1)
mandate (1)
heatstroke (1)
cdl (1)
workerscomp (1)
salivatesting (1)
oralfluidtesting (1)
departmentoftransportation (1)
dot (1)
BWC reporting (1)
bwc premiums (1)
true up (1)
safetytraining (1)
rebateprograms (1)
inspections (1)
safetycouncil (1)
Ohio Tpa (1)
alternative to ohio bwc (1)
ohio premium savings (1)
human resources (1)
News (1)
losing RFPs (1)
professional employer organization (1)
heatstress (1)
Voluntary Abandonment (1)
Line Of Credit (1)
Fire Prevention (1)
Retro Refunds (1)
Slips Falls (1)
Hypothermia (1)
Frostbite (1)
Recordables (1)
Cold Safety (1)
Cold (1)
Winter Weather (1)
Winter Safety (1)
Rebate (1)
Group Retro Refunds Withheld (1)
First Responder Training (1)
Medical Treatment (1)
ACA Reporting (1)
Administrative Support (1)
Insurance Premiums (1)
MIRA II (1)
Underwriting (1)
Ohio Workers Compensation (1)
Ice Injury (1)
Life Saving Skills (1)
Investment (1)
Billion Back (1)
Abatement (1)
Ohio Employment Law (1)
Employment Lawsuits (1)
Absence Management (1)
Medical Leave (1)
ADA (1)
ASO (1)
Administrative (1)
BWC Overfunding (1)
Negligent Hiring (1)
BWC Net Position (1)
Protecting Teleworkers (1)
Ergonomics (1)
Home Office Safety (1)
Remote Worker Safety (1)
Termination Guidance (1)
Teleworking (1)
Working From Home (1)
WFH (1)
OSHA Updates (1)
HAZCOM (1)
Employee Handbooks (1)
Dewine (1)
Managed Care Organizations (1)
Medical Costs (1)
300A (1)
Financial Security (1)
Retention Tools (1)
Ohio Mask Mandate (1)
Mid Sized Employer (1)
Small Employer (1)
Employer Requirements (1)
Claim Reserves (1)
International Travel (1)
Emergency Temporary Standard (1)
PAR (1)
Safety Council Program (1)
Bwc Safety Council (1)
Healthcare Industry (1)
Refunds (1)
Surprise Inspection (1)
OSHA 300 (1)
Spoonerinc (1)
Group Retro Assessments (1)
Retirement Savings (1)
OSHA Region 5 (1)
Retirement Plan (1)
HCS (1)
Group Retrospective Rating (1)
PPE (1)
Regional Enforcement Program (1)
Audiogram (1)
Michigan (1)
Indiana (1)
True Up Deadline (1)
Workerscomp (1)
Bwc Compliance (1)
Payroll Reporting (1)
Violence In The Workplace (1)
OSHA Citations (1)
COVID 19 Workers Comp Claims (1)
Coronavirus (1)
Experience Period (1)
Secretary Of Labor (1)
Pros And Cons Of PEOs (1)
OSHA Settlement Negotiations (1)
HR Compliance (1)
National Fire Safety (1)
Baseline Audiogram (1)
Eeoc (1)
BWC Administrative Fees (1)
Ohio BWC Loses Billions (1)
2018 Group Retr0 (1)
Self Insured PEO (1)
CFO Services (1)
BWC Saving Programs (1)
Occupational Noise (1)
Audiometric Testing (1)
Ada (1)
Osha Region 5 (1)
Regional Emphasis Program (1)
Savings Programs (1)
Safety Council (1)
Finanancial Services (1)
Inspections (1)
Heat Stroke (1)
Mandate (1)
OSHA REP (1)
Deadlines (1)
Ai (1)
Decibel Level (1)
TTD (1)
Commercial Banking (1)
Interest Rates (1)
Loan Forgiveness (1)
Ppp Loan (1)
LO/TO (1)
Acquisition Capital (1)
Business Banking (1)
Claim Costs (1)
Ascentis (1)
Applicant Tracking Software (1)
Novatime Discontinued (1)
Timekeeping (1)
BWC Dividends (1)
Surplus Fund (1)
Premium Increase (1)
Group Rating Renewal (1)
Spooner Group Rating (1)
Mileage Rate (1)
Irs (1)
OSHA PEL (1)
Hearing Protection (1)
WPAFB (1)
Spooner Safety Seminars (1)
Osha 300a (1)
Site Specific Targeting (1)
Osha Abatement (1)
Osha Sst (1)
Training Credits (1)
HR Continuing Education (1)
HR CE (1)
BWC Training (1)
HR Consulting (1)
Safety Services (1)
Safety Score (1)
Self Insuring (1)
SuretyHR (1)
Agriculture (1)
Manufacturing (1)
Ohio Bwc Base Rate Increase (1)
OHio BWC Base Rate Reduction (1)
Ohio Workers Comp Rates (1)
DART (1)
Investigations (1)
DOL Audits (1)
Noise Monitoring (1)
HAL (1)
Audiograms (1)
Audio (1)
Mod (1)
Fraudulent Claims (1)
DepartmentofLaborAudit (1)
Work From Home (1)
RRI (1)
UPA (1)
Hospitals (1)
FMLA Lawsuit (1)
Nursing Homes (1)
Patient Care (1)
Focused Inspection Initiative (1)
Wage And Hour (1)
Family Medical Leave Act (1)
HR Issues (1)
Department Of Labor (1)
DOL Fines (1)
FMLA Fines (1)
Incident Reporting (1)
+ Show More

Login
© Spooner Inc.
Powered by Virteom Virteom Logo