FAQ's

YES! The majority of our instructors are fluent in English and Spanish. Call to find out if we provide your specific subject in Spanish.

NOTE:  OSTS does not teach dual-language classes (i.e. we do not teach subject matter in two languages during the same class session)

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The fundamental business concern for not having an “Effective” IIPP is that your company will not have a solid foundation to build your safety efforts. This lack of structure will promote hap-hazard facilitation of training, inspections and safety committee activities.

Effectively managing the three activities (employee training, facility inspections and safety committee meetings) will allow you and your company “Proactive” response to employee health and safety, rather than “Reactive. Reactive response is significantly more costly in relation to human grief and company dollars.

The primary goal for any IIPP should be elimination of employee accidents, injuries, and near misses. Running a close second, should be reduction of Corporate liability and finally, compliance with Cal OSHA regulations.

Additionally, if Cal OSHA inspects your facility and finds violations but they do not cite violations of your IIPP (8CCR 3203), then your company will be eligible for Discretionary discounts on your penalty amounts. If you do receive citations of Section 3203, you will NOT be eligible for such additional discounts.

Being a consulting firm time is the critical factor. We have some set pricing for common classes and services and all other site-specific consulting is billed hourly.

Certification is subject specific. Our CPR / First Aid certification has a two year expiration date. Hazardous Materials Response certification is regulated by Cal OSHA and expires annually. Call our office to ask about specific expiration dates for specific classes.

Every business is different and has different machines, equipment and hazards. While conducting required activities of your Injury and Illness Prevention Program will help you in discovering hazards unique to your company.

Cal OSHA’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program regulation (California Code of Regulations Title 8 Section 3203) requires that every employer in California provide “regular and scheduled” training for their employees. The employer must determine the definition of “regular and scheduled”.

Keep in mind that there are specific regulations that have there own training requirement (i.e. fire extinguisher training 8CCR 6151(g) requires annual retraining).

In considering how many employees you have to train depends on how many employees are exposed to or affected by the particular topic. As an example; Respiratory protection training must be provided to ONLY those employees that have been required to or who have volunteered to wear a tight-fitting facepiece respirator. On the other hand, emergency evacuation procedures must be communicated to ALL employees, because ALL may be required to evacuate in a particular emergency.

Employers are responsible for ensuring a four minute response time to an injured employee. Even if you have a fire station, staffed with paramedics across the street, what if they are out on a previous call when you need them? Where do you think the liability will be placed?

CLICK HERE FOR FEDERAL INTERPRETATIONS OF THE FIRST AID STANDARD

A Cal OSHA inspection can be a frightening experience. Receiving a packet of Citations and discovering the total amount of penalty dollars can be sickening. Keep in mind that Cal OSHA’s primary function is to help make workplaces safer for employees, not to put you out of business. However, the penalty amounts may lead you to believe otherwise.

You must understand that every employer has rights in the event of receiving Cal OSHA citations AND THESE RIGHTS MUST BE EXERCISED. The employer has the right to an Informal Conference and the right to Appeal any or all of the citations.

O.S.T.S., Inc. has been extremely successful in developing our clients arguments for Informal Conference and Appeal…so successful that in twelve years we have not found it necessary to take an Appeal all the way to the Appeal Court Room. With a knowledgeable, researched approach we have achieved citation withdraws, violation reclassifications, and significant penalty reductions with minimal time and money investments. Call us to find out how we can help you and your company and / or to ask for references.

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Cal OSHA INFO