Whistleblower Protection

The action an employer takes to fix a cited violation or eliminate a hazard OSHA identified during an inspection. The citation sets an abatement date, the deadline to correct the hazard, and within 10 calendar days after that date the employer must certify to OSHA that the violation was abated. Failure to abate accrues additional penalties of up to $16,550 per day.

The senior OSHA official in charge of a specific OSHA Area Office — the local unit that runs inspections and enforcement in its geographic territory. The Area Director has the authority to issue citations, propose penalties, hold informal conferences with employers, and approve settlement agreements. When a Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) completes an inspection, it's the Area Director who ultimately issues the citation.

The federal statistical agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that collects, analyzes, and publishes data on workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. BLS conducts the annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) — compiled from employer OSHA 300 logs — and the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI). SOII data drives OSHA's Site-Specific Targeting (SST) program: establishments whose DART rates significantly exceed their BLS industry average are placed on the SST inspection list.

Under OSHA's construction standards, a person who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions, and who has the authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them. The role requires both knowledge and the authority to act, and is mandated by name in many specific standards — excavations, scaffolds, fall protection, asbestos, and more.

The formal written notice OSHA issues to an employer after an inspection, describing each alleged violation, the standard cited, the proposed penalty, and the date by which the hazard must be corrected (abated). OSHA must issue a citation with reasonable promptness and no later than six months after the violation occurred.

The meeting at the end of an OSHA inspection where the compliance officer confers with the employer and informally advises them of any apparent violations found. Importantly, the closing conference discusses what was observed and the employer's rights — but it does NOT state final citations or penalties, which come later in the written Citation and Notification of Penalty.

An OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer — the inspector who conducts workplace inspections. A CSHO presents credentials (a photo ID and a serial number), holds the opening conference, performs the walkaround, collects evidence, interviews employees, and recommends citations. CSHOs are either safety specialists or industrial hygienists.

An employer's formal challenge to an OSHA citation, penalty, or abatement date. To contest, the employer must file a written Notice of Contest with the OSHA Area Director within 15 working days of receiving the Citation and Notification of Penalty. Filing sends the case to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC); missing the deadline makes the citation a final, un-appealable order.