4 Ways to Make OSHA Compliance Easy
By Chris PetersonFirst published Updated
The short answer
A PEO can make OSHA compliance easier in four ways: writing and updating your safety manual, setting up and documenting safety training, keeping the OSHA 300 injury log, and running safety audits and mock inspections. Workplace safety itself stays your responsibility as the employer.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) exists to keep workplaces safe and healthful, with rules on confined spaces, forklifts, lockout/tagout, injuries and other hazards. OSHA requires employers to protect employees from hazards that can cause death or serious harm, and employers want that too. Still, many small and mid-sized businesses find OSHA compliance time-consuming and the rules hard to follow.
How does a PEO help with OSHA compliance?
1. Safety manuals
A good safety manual is the foundation of a safe workplace and of OSHA compliance. Your PEO has experience with companies like yours and can write a manual that protects your employees and your business, then keep it current.
2. Safety training
Training is a core OSHA requirement. Your PEO sets up the training your industry needs plus general training such as emergency action, fire prevention and fall prevention, and documents all of it.
3. The OSHA 300 log
Your PEO maintains the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300), saving you hours of paperwork and tracking.
4. Safety audits and inspections
Federal OSHA inspectors can arrive unannounced, so it pays to be ready. Your PEO finds and helps correct hazards, runs periodic mock inspections, and makes sure required notices, including the “Job Safety and Health: It's the Law” poster, are posted for employees.
Who is responsible for safety under a PEO?
You are. Under co-employment, the client keeps control of the worksite and its safety; the PEO advises, trains and documents. That split is why a PEO's safety help matters: it gives you the expertise without taking the responsibility out of your hands.