“OSHA is here!” Whether from e-mail, text message or word of mouth, that statement can strike fear in the hearts and minds of some companies. It did for us as those words were heard at Livingston & Haven along with the words, “OSHA is still here!”

For a total of three days in June of 2006, OSHA was at our facility making us realize how unsafe we were. The result was 26 citations, two of which were ‘Serious’ (although we must admit now that we didn’t even know what ‘Serious’ meant at the time). That was the day we realized, as a company, we had slipped. Safety was not a priority in our company. We were getting by doing what we had to do to comply with our customer’s regulations for contractor safety, while hoping nothing happened to our associates and hoping OSHA never visited.

Fast forward six months later to December of 2006, our citations abated and fines paid, we had realized our crisis and began to meet its challenges. A safety committee was formed and we started the long journey of creating a safety program that included training all of our associates and complying with our customer’s requirements for contractor safety.

Two years later we are now practicing proactive customer requirement compliance, continuing with training, training, training and are also in the process of getting into the safety business with machine hazard assessment, machine safety equipment and OSHA safety training for customers and suppliers.

Why should we be thanking OSHA? Aside from the fact that because of OSHA’s regulations and enforcement millions of American workers are kept safe, OSHA can also inspire. It inspired us here at Livingston & Haven to integrate safety into all aspects of our company. Because of that we now have a safety program and are on our way to creating a culture that thinks about safety not because we have to, but because it’s what we do. As I look back now, our safety program didn’t begin with our first committee meeting or even the completion of our first safety program. It began with the words “OSHA is here!”

What will inspire your company to make safety a priority?