Workplace health and safety violations come in many forms, including building hazards, improper waste disposal, and outdated recordkeeping methods. No matter the violation, all breaches of OSHA’s best standards are taken seriously. Here is a brief look at what happens when OSHA finds a violation.
Administered Notice of Violation
Whether OSHA finds a violation during an inspection or through a complaint, a citation ticket is recorded and put on file. Someone from the administration will notify you of your violation. Initial notices occur via phone or right after an inspection during debriefing.
After you’ve been made aware of your citation, OSHA sends you hard copies and written details of your violations through the mail, fax, or email, depending on your preferred form of contact. It lists the specifics of the complaint or violation and notifies you of proposed penalties. No consequences are administered and finalized during the citation and notification of violation.
After receiving written details of your recorded violation, OSHA expects you to send back a plan of action within five business days.
Overview of a Corrective Action Plan (CAP)
Within five business days of your received citation, you need to do the following:
- Assess the violation concerns
- Hang up citation notices in violation areas
- Update all relevant workers on the violation
- Write your version and confirmation of the breach details
- Develop a corrective action plan (CAP)
CAPs are your company’s action plans and solutions for resolving non-compliance breaches. They include what you plan to do to regain compliance, how you plan to achieve it, and a predicted timeline for your corrections.
Follow-Up Inspection and Penalties
After submitting your CAP and response information to OSHA, they’ll review it, deem whether your CAP is approved, and request further actions if applicable. Additional processes include follow-up inspections, CAP rewrite requests, and official administration of penalties—fines, permanent citation records, or jail time. OSHA non-compliance consequences depend on the violation’s severity.
If you don’t hear back from OSHA or get an official approval notification of your CAP, no further actions are required from you other than performing corrections in a timely manner.
Avoid finding out what happens when OSHA finds a violation after the fact with this brief guide and proper OSHA training. Our OSHA compliance training manuals help you stay in the know of current health and safety regulations and reduce your chances of non-compliance violations. Check out our dental OSHA compliance programs to remain compliant and keep your dental office safe.