OSHA launches new round of wall-to-wall targeted inspections. (Washington Alert).

OSHA has initiated the next round of wall-to-wall inspections under the agency's Site Specific Targeting (SST-02) program. Compliance officers are expected to visit 3000 work sites with higher than average lost work day injuries. The companies targeted for inspection are pulled from the agency's survey data of 80,000 sites.

The SST-02 plan initially selects for inspection all work sites with Lost Workday Injury and Illness (LWDII) rates at or above 14 for every 100 full-time workers. The average LWDII rate for private industry is 3 instances for the same number of workers.

If an area office completes its inspections of all establishments with LWDII rates at or above 14, it can inspect additional establishments reporting an LWDII rate of 8 or greater, but less than 14. Establishments that have received a comprehensive safety and health inspection after January 1, 2000 will be deleted from the inspection list.

The agency also unveiled an alternative method designed to account for employees who are injured and return to work under restricted capacity or are transferred to other jobs in the company. This new "DART" method--which refers to "Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Rate--will initially have limited use. OSHA plans to use it only in those cases where a company or site has changed ownership.

The DART rate "will eventually replace' the Lost Workday Injury and Illness rate" in determining whether a company is targeted under the SST program in future years, according to the OSHA directive.

For more information, visit OSHA's Targeted Inspection Compliance Directive at http://www.osha.gov or contact Stephanie Salmon at the AFS Washington Office at 202/842-4864.