Understanding the Limits Of OSHA Inspection Authority

Only by understanding the limits on OSHA’s authority, writes Goldberg Segalla attorney Michael Rubin, can you make an intelligent decision regarding a whole chain of options that begins when an OSHA inspector shows up at your door, starting with whether to consent to inspection at all (assuming the inspector comes, as most do, without a warrant). Other issues you may need to consider include whether to request a short delay until a particular employer representative arrives, and whether to designate certain operations as trade secrets, thus putting them off-limits to any future FOIA request.