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The Illinois Department of Labor’s On-Site Safety & Health Consultation Program is a free service offered to small and medium-sized businesses, including owners of a franchise. This program assists businesses in identifying potential safety and health issues. Employers and our skilled consultants will develop systematic strategies to control potential hazards based on OSHA requirements and NIOSH best practices. Please contact the On-Site Safety & Health Consultation Program dol.consultation@illinois.gov or 800-972-4216 for more information.
- What does the Illinois On-Site Safety and Health Consultation service cost and who is eligible?
- As an employer, must I fix all identified hazards and how is it verified?
- Will a consultation survey lead to a compliance inspection?
- Can a consultant conduct on-site training sessions?
- How do I get started?
- Will consultants require access to all areas during a consultation visit?
- How long does it take to conduct a consultation?
- How does a safety survey differ from a health survey?
- How do I prepare for a safety or health visit?
- How much will it cost to correct any identified hazards?
Consultation services are already paid for with your tax dollars and there are no additional charges. Illinois employers with 250 or less employees on site or 500 employees corporate-wide are eligible for full-service consultation. Limited services are also available to larger companies.
The employer is obligated to correct all serious hazards found by the consultant within a reasonable period of time. Extensions are granted if a hardship is identified and if the employer is providing interim protection from the hazard for employees. For regular consultation visits a statement of assurance of correction for each hazard is acceptable. For special program consultations a follow-up visit is usually conducted to verify the correction of hazards.
All information is kept confidential. The only time an employer may be referred to compliance is on the rare occasion a company refuses to correct serious hazards within a reasonable period of time, but only after Consultation has made every attempt to work with the company to eliminate the hazard.
On-site training and education by consultants is generally informal, occurring during the process of the consultation visit, involving both the employer and the employees. Training may also be conducted when an employer requests a visit for that purpose.
Consultation services are available upon request by filling out the On-Site Consultation Request form or by calling 1-800-972-4216.
As the employer, the decision is yours. Although most employers prefer a comprehensive survey, you may request a visit for specific areas or technical assistance. Also, you may alter the scope of your request or terminate the visit at any time. Our consultants can only visit your site by invitation.
The time may vary from a couple of hours to a full day, depending on the size of your facility and the scope of assistance requested. Should exposure monitoring be requested or recommended, additional days are scheduled.
Safety survey focuses primarily on fire, mechanical, electrical, material handling, and working surface safety.
Health survey focuses primarily on the possibility of exposure to potentially harmful levels of chemical and biological agents, noise, radiation, and heat.
However all conditions evaluated, hazards identified and other findings and recommendations made are limited to workers safety.
After requesting a visit you will be contacted directly by a consultant. Once a visit date has been determined you should gather any safety and health information or programs (e.g. OSHA 300 Logs) that may be helpful during the visit.
The expense in correcting hazards is usually minor. Keep in mind, the long-term and often hidden costs of failing to correct a hazard are often much greater than the short-term costs of correction.
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