By James L. Curtis and Craig B. Simonsen

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has just issued its Site-Specific Targeting 2012 program to direct enforcement resources to high-hazard, non-construction workplaces that have 20 or more workers. While it is the 2012 program, it is effective for 2013. The Directive No. 13-01 (CPL 02), Site-Specific Targeting 2012, includes a listing of the approximately seventy industry groups that will be the subject of OSHA’s enhanced inspection activities.

As part of the inspection program, OSHA is conducting a study to evaluate its effectiveness based on 1,260 randomly selected establishments. According to Assistant Secretary David Michaels, “through the SST program, we can prevent injuries and illnesses, and save lives by focusing our inspection resources on employers in high-hazard worksites where workers are at greater risk….”

With OSHA’s enhanced inspection activities this year, employers should be ever diligent in their safety and health policies, practices, and training activities.