OSHA Compliance Checklist

Per 29 CFR 1910.37, exit routes must be unobstructed, exit signs illuminated, and doors openable from the inside without keys or special knowledge. Common gotchas: pallets staged in front of secondary exits, blocked panic hardware, burned-out exit-sign LEDs, and exterior discharge points blocked by snow or trailers.

29 CFR 1910.157(e) requires monthly visual inspection and annual maintenance. Confirm tag is initialed for the current month, gauge is in the green, pin and seal intact, and unit is mounted at the marked station. Annual maintenance tag must be within 12 months.

Red-tag any unit out of service and stage a loaner from the spare bank at the same location. Open a work order with the extinguisher service vendor and document the swap on the inspection log.

Per 1910.151, first-aid supplies must be readily available where no clinic is in proximity. Check ANSI Z308.1 kit contents, AED pad and battery expiration dates, and eyewash station weekly-flush log if chemicals are present (1910.151(c)).

For establishments with 10+ employees, the prior calendar year's 300A summary must be posted from February 1 through April 30 in a conspicuous location. Verify it is signed by a company executive. Easy citation if missed.

Walk every aisle and work cell. Look for hydraulic or coolant leaks under presses and CNCs, frayed extension cords, daisy-chained power strips, and pallet jack damage to floor markings. Note locations on the gemba sheet for same-shift correction.

Per 1910.212, point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, and chips/sparks must be guarded. Confirm interlocks on press brakes and injection molders trip the cycle when opened, and that no operator workarounds (taped switches, bypassed light curtains) are present.

Lock and tag the disconnect, notify the production supervisor for schedule reroute, and open a maintenance work order with priority. Machine stays down until the manufacturing engineer signs the guard back into service.

Per 1910.147, observe a maintenance tech executing the machine-specific LOTO procedure: notify affected employees, shut down, isolate all energy sources (electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, stored mechanical), apply locks and tags, and verify zero energy with a test-try. The annual periodic inspection must be documented per authorized employee.

Pull the open-PM report from Fiix or eMaint and confirm critical-asset PMs are within window. Deferred PMs on safety-critical equipment (overhead cranes, forklifts, pressure vessels) require plant manager sign-off, not silent slippage.

1910.178(l) requires equipment-specific evaluation every three years. Verify each operator is certified on each truck class they drive — counterbalance, reach, order picker, pallet jack are separate. Check daily pre-shift inspection sheets are being completed.

1910.132(d) requires a written, certified hazard assessment per task and work area. Walk the floor with the assessment in hand and confirm hazards have not changed (new chemical, new process, new tooling) since the last review. Update the certification if anything has shifted.

Observe at least three operators per shift wearing required PPE for their task: safety glasses with side shields in machining, cut-resistant gloves at sheet-metal stations, hearing protection where the dosimetry shows >85 dBA TWA, and respirators only with a current fit test on file.

Schedule the operator and their supervisor for refresher training within 5 business days. Document the session in the LMS with signed acknowledgment. If the gap is process-driven (PPE not stocked, wrong size available), open a corrective action against the stockroom.

1910.134 requires annual fit testing, current medical clearance, and written program. Anyone wearing a tight-fitting respirator without a current fit test on the specific make/model/size is a citation waiting to happen. Cross-check the LMS roster against the active respirator user list.

Check each station for stocked sizes, expired items (some respirator cartridges and certain chemical gloves have shelf life), and damaged units. Pull defective PPE from circulation. Confirm reorder points in the stockroom kanban are triggering on time.

Walk every chemical storage cabinet, parts washer, and dispensing station. Every product on the floor must have a current SDS in the library (paper or electronic via VelocityEHS / KPA). New solvents or coolants introduced since the last audit are the typical gap — flag them for HazCom training.

Per HazCom 2012, secondary containers (squirt bottles, dispensing cans) must carry product identifier and hazard pictograms unless used immediately by the person who filled them. Unlabeled drums and squirt bottles at the press are the most common floor finding.

SPCC-applicable oil storage and any RCRA hazardous waste accumulation area must have intact secondary containment. Check that absorbent socks, pads, and overpack drums are at the spill station and not borrowed for routine cleanup.

Cross-check incident reports, first-aid log, and workers' comp filings against the 300 log. Recordable criteria per 1904.7: medical treatment beyond first aid, days away, restricted duty, or transfer. Late or missing entries are a common audit finding.

Every Major or repeat finding gets a CAR in the QMS with named owner, due date, and effectiveness check. Closing a CAR with only 'retrained the operator' without a verification audit is the #1 reason findings repeat next month.

Final review with the plant manager. Capture overall result, narrative on systemic issues, and digital signature for the compliance file. Distribute the summary to shift supervisors before the next gemba walk.