OSHA revises Site-Specific Targeting Program

Washington — OSHA has updated its Site-Specific Targeting Program, the agency announced Dec. 16.

OSHA’s primary targeting program for non-construction establishments with 20 or more employees, the SST Program directs agency enforcement resources to those with the highest rates of injuries and illnesses. The update went into effect Dec. 14 and replaces the 2016 SST Program.

Site-specific targeting uses employer-submitted injury and illness data. According to a directive memo, OSHA will generate inspection lists of establishments with elevated Days Away, Restricted or Transferred rates for calendar year 2019, as well as sites with upward trending DART rates from 2017 to 2019. The three-year list is new to the program.

“To verify data accuracy and quality control, OSHA intends to also include a random sample of low-rate establishments from the CY 2019 data,” the memo states.

The other significant change is the allowance of records-only inspections only when an OSHA inspector determines that incorrect data led to an establishment’s inclusion in the program.

“This change ensures OSHA will conduct a full inspection only when the employer has an actual elevated injury and illness experience,” an agency press release states.

OSHA revived the program in October 2018 after a four-year hiatus, which began after the agency discontinued its OSHA Data Initiative.