What to Do When OSHA Shows Up at Your Door

OSHA does not schedule an appointment. They show up, present their credentials, tell you why they are there, and start asking for records. What happens in the next few hours depends almost entirely on what you did before they arrived. In this webinar, Lacey Partipilo, VP of Client Success at Xenium HR, is joined by Deb Bridges, ASP, safety consultant with Safety Northwest, LLC, to walk through the full arc of an Oregon OSHA inspection. From the knock at the front desk to the closing conference to the appeals process. Deb covers what OSHA asks for, where employers most often fall short, and what the new Oregon penalty structure means now that it is in its second year. Base penalties for serious violations jumped from around $300 to roughly $3,600, they are indexed to rise every year, and Oregon still has the same high number of enforcement officers out in the field. What you'll learn: Why OSHA shows up, and what your front desk needs to know What records they will ask for, and how current they need to be How to handle the facility walkthrough and employee interviews The most common documentation gaps that turn into citations How the new Oregon penalty structure works, including repeat and willful add-ons The top cited violations and how one weak area can trigger several citations What actually happens at the closing conference, and why the officer does not write your citation Whether OSHA consultation is a good idea for your business If it is not documented, OSHA assumes it did not happen. This session is about closing that gap before someone else finds it. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and how the session works 01:00 Introductions and the Xenium HR partnership with Safety Northwest 02:45 What we're covering today 03:10 The knock on the door and why OSHA shows up 04:15 Credentials, entry, and what your front desk should do 05:00 The opening conference and who needs to be in the room 06:20 The facility walkthrough and documenting what they document 08:00 Employee interviews and how to prepare your team 09:20 OSHA 300 logs and what "current" actually means 10:50 Safety committee minutes and the follow-through OSHA now looks for 12:10 Training records, safety programs, and accident investigations 13:30 Building your OSHA team before you need one 14:20 The most common mistakes employers make 15:50 SDS books and hazard communication 16:55 Why supervisors are central to your safety program 18:20 Inconsistent interview answers and training effectiveness 19:45 If it is not documented, it did not happen 20:10 The Oregon penalty structure before 2025 22:00 The current penalty structure and what changed 24:40 Repeat violations, willful violations, and the new fatality carve-out 26:00 The top cited violations in Oregon 27:00 Fall protection trigger heights in general industry and construction 30:20 Getting your house in order when the list feels overwhelming 33:00 Key questions to answer before OSHA arrives 37:00 The inspection flow from opening to closing conference 38:15 Why the officer does not write your citation, and a scam to watch for 39:10 Receiving the citation and deciding whether to appeal 40:00 Appealing the wrong standard, with a real example 41:15 OSHA consultation, yes or no 43:30 The six month enforcement window after a consultation 44:15 Q&A: correcting hazards during the walkthrough 45:40 Q&A: how long until the citation arrives 46:30 Q&A: what the appeals process looks like 47:40 Q&A: a lockout tagout appeal that worked 49:30 Q&A: which industries OSHA is visiting now 50:40 Q&A: why complaints have gone up since COVID 51:40 Q&A: shared conference rooms and bilingual interviews 53:30 How to connect with Xenium HR and Safety Northwest About Xenium HR Xenium HR is an outsourced HR and payroll partner for small and mid-sized businesses. Based in Portland, Oregon, Xenium supports leaders with HR guidance, payroll, benefits, compliance, and the everyday work of taking care of people. Safety support, including walkthroughs and reviews of your written programs, is available to Xenium clients through our partnership with Safety Northwest. If you are a client and want to get connected, reach out to your HR business partner. Website: https://xeniumhr.com/ LinkedIn:   / xenium-hr   Instagram:   / xeniumhr   YouTube:    / xeniumhr   Facebook:   / xeniumhr   Podcast: https://xeniumhr.com/hr-resources/pod... About Deb Bridges, Safety Northwest Deb Bridges, ASP, is a safety and health consultant with Safety Northwest and has worked with employers across many industries on OSHA preparedness, program development, and the citation and appeals process. Website: https://www.safetynorthwest.org/ LinkedIn:   / safety-northwest-llc   #OSHA #OregonOSHA #WorkplaceSafety #HRCompliance #SmallBusiness #SafetyCulture #EmployerResources #XeniumHR #SafetyNorthwest