What to Expect When OSHA Visits Your Business in Florida

Getting informed of an upcoming visit from an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance officer can feel like bad news to an employer in Florida. So, what can you expect from an OSHA visit, and how might one impact your Workers’ Compensation insurance premiums?

A visit from an OSHA compliance officer can be intimidating for employers in Florida. Basically, these visits break down into four parts: the opening conference, employee interviews, the inspection, and the closing conference. While failure to have Workers’ Compensation insurance isn’t an OSHA violation, it might indicate that other problems regarding employee safety exist. Addressing problems cited by OSHA following a visit to your Florida business is important, as failure to do so might result in additional workplace accidents and higher Workers’ Compensation insurance premiums.

If you need Workers’ Compensation insurance for your business in Florida, our brokers can help. To learn more about the Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers at NPN Brokers, call today at (561) 990-3022.

What Can You Expect from an OSHA Visit in Florida?

If there was a recent workplace accident at your business in Florida, regardless of whether or not an injured worker filed a Workers’ Compensation insurance claim, OSHA might conduct an investigation. It’s important for employers to understand what to expect from this process so that they are well-prepared when an OSHA compliance officer visits their business in Florida.

Opening Conference

The first step of an OSHA investigation is known as an opening conference. During this time, an OSHA compliance officer might request access to certain records detailing your business’s safety protocols, recent Workers’ Compensation claims, and injury reports. Compiling the necessary information, such as your current Workers’ Compensation insurance policy and accounts of recent workplace accidents, is important. If you need proof of insurance, contact our Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers to learn how to get it.

During the opening conference, the OSHA compliance officer visiting your business in Florida might explain the reasons for investigating your business’s adherence to safety guidelines. At this time, you can appoint a company representative to accompany an OSHA compliance officer during their investigation. Employees may also appoint a representative to ensure their interests are properly represented during an OSHA investigation.

Employee Interviews

Employee interviews are a common part of OSHA investigations into businesses in Florida. The OSHA compliance officer assigned to your case may interview several employees and ask them questions regarding their concerns about potential safety hazards, recent workplace injuries, and access to Workers’ Compensation insurance benefits. Employee interviews are confidential, meaning employers in Florida have no involvement in this process. The purpose of employee interviews is to help OSHA compliance officers gauge employees’ opinions on safety training and possible hazards in the workplace that might lead to an accident.

Inspection

An actual OSHA inspection is confined to the reasons originally cited by a complaint. For example, suppose an employee was recently injured because of unsafe equipment and filed a Workers’ Compensation claim. If OSHA was notified of the accident and an employee requested an investigation, they will only look into areas related to the original complaint. During this time, an OSHA compliance officer might review recent injuries or accidents, whether or not they resulted in Workers’ Compensation claims. Our Florida Small Business Workers’ Compensation brokers can pair you with a reliable carrier that can provide the necessary information on previous accidents, so you can easily relay those details to a compliance officer.

Closing Conference

During a closing conference of an OSHA inspection, a compliance officer will inform an employer of their findings. If there were clear OSHA violations, an employer might be given a fine or citation and instruction on how to rectify those issues in the workplace. Closing conferences typically occur one to six weeks after an initial inspection in Florida. Quickly addressing safety concerns discussed in a closing conference is important, as failure to do so might result in additional workplace injuries and difficulty getting Workers’ Compensation insurance for employers in Florida.

Is Failure to Have Workers’ Comp in Florida an OSHA Violation?

After receiving notice that an OSHA compliance officer will soon visit your workplace in Florida, you might be concerned as an employer. What’s considered an OSHA violation, and is failure to have Workers’ Compensation insurance included on that list?

While having an OSHA compliance officer visit a workplace in Florida can feel like bad news for employers, it doesn’t necessarily mean employers have violated OSHA safety guidelines. Basically, OSHA violations are any willful or unintentional failures to adhere to safety guidelines. An OSHA violation doesn’t necessarily have to result in an accident or Workers’ Compensation claim for a compliance officer to visit your business.

Failure to have Workers’ Compensation insurance isn’t an OSHA violation in Florida. That said, having Workers’ Compensation insurance can protect you from financial liability for a worker’s injuries if hurt on the job. Although OSHA guidelines have more to do with preventing workplace accidents than helping workers after injury, not having Workers’ Compensation insurance might indicate a lack of interest in your employees’ safety. Because of that, contacting our Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers and getting the necessary coverage for your business is important.

Can an OSHA Visit Impact Your Business’s Workers’ Comp Premiums in Florida?

By itself, an OSHA visit should have little impact on your Workers’ Compensation insurance premiums in Florida. However, it may be a different story if multiple workplace injuries precede an OSHA visit.

When evaluating a business’s Workers’ Compensation premiums, previous OSHA visits shouldn’t be factored in too much. These investigations either end in OSHA determining that a company has adhered to safety guidelines or in OSHA requiring a company to fix problems. Either way, the issue is addressed, which should lower concern for Workers’ Compensation carriers.

The problem is that OSHA visits often come about after workplace accidents occur. Multiple employee injuries might indicate an elevated risk to insurance carriers, which is why it is important to get reliable and affordable coverage from our Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance for construction companies.

Contact Our Florida Brokers to Get Workers’ Compensation Insurance Today

If you’re struggling to find affordable Workers’ Compensation insurance in Florida, reach out to our brokers. To learn more about the Florida Workers’ Compensation insurance brokers at NPN Brokers, call today at (561) 990-3022.