Gary’s point is well taken. How you deal with inspectors has almost as much impact on how you emerge from an OSHA inspection as how you actually deal with hazards at your workplace. Even safe companies can receive citations. But what you say after the OSHA inspector points out a hazard can turn a routine citation into a willful one. Here are five examples:

1. I Confess, Management Did It

What You Say: “I’ve been complaining to management for months about that doggone hazard!”

What the Inspector Hears: “Management was aware of a hazard and still didn’t address it. We’re looking at a willful citation.”

2. It’s the Worker’s Fault

What You Say: “We have a company policy banning workers from engaging in that unsafe practice and those guys are violating the policy.”

What the Inspector Hears: “The company’s safety policies are just for show because management doesn’t enforce them.”

3. We Tried to Fix It

What You Say: “I know it’s a hazard but the widget we ordered to remedy it three months ago still hasn’t arrived.”

What the Inspector Hears: “The company committed a willful violation by allowing workers to be exposed to a known hazard before remedial measures had been implemented.”

4. We Can’t Afford to Fix It

What You Say: “I know we should implement that safety measure. But we’re a small company and can’t afford that kind of thing.”

What the Inspector Hears: “Those guys deliberately and unilaterally decided to ignore an OSHA requirement without substituting adequate safety measures.”

5. Our Way Is Better

What You Say: “This is the way everybody in our industry does it and has been doing it for decades.”

What the Inspector Hears: “The company relies on industry standards and is either ignorant of or deliberately in violation of OSHA requirements.”

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