The OSHA Explorer: Expert Tips and Tricks for Finding Information on the OSHA Website
What if you could dig below the surface and find the information provided to OSHA compliance officers?
Our speakers are former Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) and have since built successful careers after OSHA. Join us on an archeological mission to uncover valuable resources and information to help you prepare for OSHA compliance visits and better define your company’s risk profile.
Be prepared to be amazed by the information you can find on your own when you know where to look and how to search.
Learning Objectives:
1. Learn how to leverage the lesser-known sources of information on the OSHA website.
2. Identify resources to prepare for an OSHA compliance visit from a Compliance Safety and Health Officer’s (CSHO) perspective or internal audit.
3. Learn how to use OSHA information for your own continuing education.
4. Locate and interpret previous inspection records, citations, and other data and statistics.
Tip: Bookmark the OSHA A–Z Index and the OSHA Field Operations Manual for one-click access during audits and program reviews.
OSHA.gov quick reference website Cheat Sheet
🛠️ Pro Tips from Inspectors
- If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen—keep written programs and training records.
- Use OSHA’s free posters/publications instead of buying from vendors.
- Subscribe to newsletters—reg changes are slow, but emphasis programs rotate.
- Verify 10/30-hour trainers; OSHA maintains a watch list of unauthorized providers.
- Leverage NAICS citation data to justify controls and budget with leadership.
Fastest path to answers: open the A–Z Index and jump straight to the resource you need.
🚩 General Rules
- OSHA = Source of Truth. Start at
OSHA.govbefore blogs, AI, or generic search results. - Inspector tools and manuals are public and free—use them to guide programs and prep for inspections.
🔑 Website Organization
Homepage Quick Links
- File a complaint
- Report a fatality/serious injury
- OSHA 300 log info
- Newsletter sign-up
Main Drop-Downs
- OSHA → state plans, local offices, required posters (multiple languages).
- Standards → laws/regulations; inline links to letters of interpretation.
- Enforcement → penalties, directives, Field Operations Manual (FOM), emphasis programs.
- News → updates, newsletter subscriptions.
- Topics → worker rights, recordkeeping, industry-specific pages.
- Help & Resources → establishment (company) search, publications, training providers & watch list, compliance assistance.
🧭 Navigation Tools
- A–Z Index → fastest path to everything (forms, data, niche topics like “rodents”).
- Alphabetical Listing → hazards & industries (not full-site coverage).
- Publications → fact sheets, posters (≈13 languages), hot topic guides.
- E-Tools & Apps → Small Business checklist, ergonomic workstation tool, hazard ID simulator, scaffolding e-tool.
- Newsletters/Alerts → stay current on seasonal priorities and emphasis programs.
📌 Where to Find Specific Elements
- Inspection “Playbook”: Field Operations Manual (FOM) — how inspections run, penalty calculus.
- Penalty Charts: Enforcement memos (updated annually; state plans may vary).
- Emphasis Programs: NEPs (nationwide) & LEPs (regional) to anticipate inspection focus.
- Letters of Interpretation: Search by keyword or click highlighted sections inside the standards (fastest).
- Technical Manual: step-by-step hazard methods (e.g., soil classification, IH sampling).
- Establishment Search (Data): company inspection history (federal + state entries).
- Frequently Cited Standards: Top 10 (general) and NAICS-specific data for your sector.
- Inspection Fact Sheets: required phases: opening → walkaround → closing; employer/worker rights.
📝 Common Clarifications
- Fatalities: always report; OSHA determines work-relatedness.
- Amputations vs. Avulsions: only amputations trigger 24-hour reporting.
- Older Interpretation Letters: usable unless labeled “archived.”
- Probable Cause: you can ask why OSHA is onsite (complaint, accident, programmed, emphasis).