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Roadmap to Safety INSafe

DOL > INSafe > INSafe Consultation Services INSafe Consultation Services

INSafe

INSafe's free consultation program offers Hoosier employers a voluntary approach to designing and implementing effective safety and health management systems. By building upon employee-management participation in an onsite hazard assessment, consultation can bring workers and employers together to develop and implement programs to control hazards and prevent worker injuries and illnesses. Through pooled resources and periodic self-inspections, employers and employees together work to make their job sites safer.

INSafe consultation services operate independently from IOSHA enforcement. An INSafe Safety or Health Consultant will visit your workplace or site at your request to provide the service(s) you have chosen. The consultant will not issue citations, impose penalties or issue fines for violations of federal or state statutes that may be found during the consultation visit. Although a consultant cannot guarantee your workplace will "pass" a federal or state inspection, it has been demonstrated that a consultation visit will significantly reduce the citation or penalty impact of future inspections.

The consultant will not provide the name of your company, its owner(s) or any other information about your workplace to IOSHA enforcement staff, so long as you, the employer, agree to correct any serious hazards identified during the onsite consultation visit. Requests for consultation services will not initiate a federal or state OSHA enforcement inspection.

An onsite visit from an INSafe Safety or Health Consultant is just a click away. Click here to request an onsite consultation.

How a Consultation Works

  • Step #1 - Request
    Your request for an INSafe onsite consultation must be in writing. You may complete the online request form by clicking here. Upon receipt of your request, you will receive confirmation of your request as well as a tentative date in which the consultation is scheduled.
  • Step #2 - Onsite Visit
    During the visit, you or your designated representative will participate in an opening conference. During the opening conference, the INSafe Consultant will review your OSHA injury and illness logs for the last three calendar years, calculating your injury and illness rates and review your written safety and health programs (i.e. Emergency Action Plan, Hazard Communication, Lockout/Tagout, etc.). The consultant will also conduct a hazard walk-through of the facility or jobsite. He or she will indicate occupational safety and health hazards identified during the course of the walk-through. Also, during the walk-through, the consultant may conduct interviews with employees. Once the walk-through is completed, the consultant will conduct a closing conference. During the closing conference, the consultant will review safety and health hazards noted, and work with the employer to establish reasonable correction due dates.  
  • Step #3 - Evaluation and Report
    A written report detailing all onsite consultation findings and recommendations, including methods to improve your safety and health program, will be prepared and sent to you. The employer is required to post the hazard list transmitted in the written report. These must be posted near the hazard and for a minimum of three days or through correction (whichever is longer).
  • Step #4 - Correction of Serious Hazards
    Your written report will provide written notification of hazards identified by the consultant as well as provide correction due dates. Extensions of the hazard correction dates may be granted if requested in a timely manner. To be eligible for an extension, the employer must provide adequate interim protection to employees to safeguard against the hazard. 
  • Step #5 - Proof of Correction
    Employers must provided written confirmation, including the date and method of hazard correction. If necessary, INSafe may schedule a follow-up consultation visit to provide technical assistance or verify hazard correction.

INSafe Safety and Health Consultants Will Not

  • Issue citations or propose penalties for violations of OSHA standards.
  • Make referrals to IOSHA, provided all serious hazards identified during the onsite consultation have been appropriately corrected.
  • Guarantee or certify that any employer or worksite will "pass" an IOSHA inspection.
  • Prescribe specific engineering designs or recommend private firms.

How to Request an Onsite Consultation

Employers may complete the online request form available by clicking here. Employers may also submit a written letter or email directly to INSafe to request onsite services. The request must include the following information:

  • Request for an onsite consultation.
  • Type of consultation.
  • Type of business. 

Sample Programs

Many of the OSHA standards require written safety and health programs to ensure complete, site-specific and uniform compliance with the requirements. For available programs from INSafe click here. Employers must tailor or customize written programs to meet their specific needs. Some may be retrieved from this website, while others may be emailed or mailed to you by contacting our office at insafe@dol.in.gov. In addition, other sample written programs are available online from federal OSHA.

Technical Assistance

In addition to the onsite consultation services provided by INSafe, the division also provides technical guidance with respect to OSHA safety and health standards. This can be accomplished by phone, office visits (to our office) or by requesting a site visit. This assistance is not a substitute for an onsite consultation. It is designed to answer specific questions you may have. Again, INSafe does not guarantee or certify compliance with OSHA standards.

To have an INSafe Safety or Health Consultant visit your facility to review or assess a particular operation, program, conduct noise measurements or perform air sampling and analysis, please complete the online request form found by clicking here.

Questions about onsite consultation or occupational safety and health, may be directed to:

INSafe
402 West Washington Street, Room W195
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
Email:  insafe@dol.in.gov
Phone: (317) 232-2688