“Industrial
hygienists play a major role in developing and issuing OSHA standards
to protect workers from health hazards associated with toxic
chemicals, biological hazards, and harmful physical agents. They provide
technical assistance and support to the agency's national and
regional offices. OSHA also employs industrial hygienists who assist in
setting up field enforcement procedures, and who issue technical
interpretations of OSHA regulations and standards.”
Industrial
hygienists are your logical choice when getting outside contract help to
help you with OSHA compliance. However, please note that OSHA use
legalese to directly avoid the issue that OSHA officers are not all industrial
hygienists. The field compliance officer does NOT need an industrial
hygienist's degree and is trained by OSHA. In fact we conclude from the opening
statement in this booklet that 60% are not formally trained in indu
strial
hygiene or engineering. An ex-manager from OSHA's New York office told this
author that it is not required that OSHA compliance officers have any college
degree. I called a number of other offices. It may happen an officer has a
degree, but it is not required. In the past, this worked out OK, since the
field officer's reports were scrutinized by professionals in the office. Now,
apparently, field officers have a freer hand, according to this source. The
training of most of these field officers is limited only to what OSHA provides.
Typical salary starts at $40,000 and can increase if they meet the standard
government requirements for promotion. They have a very good benefit package
and a salary that even degreed engineers today envy.
This means that the
typical compliance officer goes only by the book in enforcing regulations
and follows the OSHA handbooks very closely. Their training is by
OSHA and may not really be relevant or based on any actual industrial
experience. It is important for the business being inspected to keep
this in mind and realize they have to follow the booklets carefully.
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