The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revised its Field Operations Manual to provide comprehensive, updated guidance of OSHA's general enforcement policies and procedures for use by the agency's field offices in conducting inspections, issuing citations and proposing penalties.

The 329-page manual “will be a resource for workers and employers, giving them a consolidated reference on how OSHA expects workplaces to be safe and healthful," says OSHA Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor Donald G. Shalhoub. "This document is part of OSHA's continuing commitment to make its standards and enforcement activities transparent and understandable to all parties."

Employers who face a government safety inspection should review the general tips on planning, preparing, and cooperating in the inspection prepared by the national law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP.