Evacuation Plans and Procedures » Additional Assistance

Additional Assistance

OSHA provides a wide range of references and services to help employers and employees improve workplace health and safety and comply with regulatory requirements. These include the following:

To file a complaint, report an emergency, or seek OSHA advice, assistance, or products, call 1-800-321 OSHA or your nearest regional office. The teletypewriter (TTY) number is 1-877-889-5627.

OSHA area offices offer a variety of information services including publications, audiovisual aids, technical advice, and speakers for special engagements. In addition, OSHA’s Training Institute in Arlington Heights, IL, provides basic and advanced courses in safety and health for federal and state compliance officers, state consultants, federal agency employees, and private-sector employers, employees, and their representatives. Due to the high demand for OSHA Training Institute courses, OSHA Training Institute Education Centers also offer some courses at sites throughout the United States. These centers are nonprofit colleges, universities, and other organizations selected through a competitive process. OSHA also provides grants to nonprofit organizations to conduct specialized workplace training and education not available from other sources. Grants are awarded annually. For more information on grants, training, and education, contact the OSHA Training Institute, Directorate of Training and Education by mail at 2020 South Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60005-4102; by phone at (847) 297-4810, or by fax at (847) 297-4874.

OSHA offers more than 100 documents, including brochures, fact sheets, posters, pocket cards, flyers, technical documents, and a quarterly magazine. These documents are available online or by calling (202) 693-1888 or by faxing (202) 693-2498. Among the titles are the following:

The OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program offers free onsite safety and health consultation services to help employers establish and maintain safe and healthful workplaces. The service is funded largely by OSHA and is delivered by professional safety and health consultants within state governments. Developed primarily for smaller employers with more hazardous operations, the service includes an appraisal of all mechanical systems, physical work practices, environmental workplace hazards, and all aspects of the employer's job safety and health program.

The onsite consultation program is separate from OSHA's inspection efforts. No penalties are proposed or citations issued for safety or health problems identified by an OSHA consultant. The service is confidential. The employer's and firm's name, and any information about the workplace, including any unsafe or unhealthful working conditions the consultant identifies, are not reported routinely to the OSHA inspection staff. The employer, however, is obligated to correct any serious job safety and health hazards identified in a timely manner, and commits to do so when requesting the service.

For more information, see OSHA's Consultation Directory for a list of contact telephone numbers by state.

The Voluntary Protection Programs, or VPPs, recognize and promote effective safety and health program management. Companies in the VPP have strong safety and health programs, implemented and managed cooperatively by their management and labor forces in cooperation with OSHA. Sites approved for VPP's three programs - Star, Merit, and Demonstration - meet and maintain rigorous standards. Benefits to participants include the following:

  • Lost-workday case rates generally 60 to 80 percent below industry averages.
  • Reduced workers' compensation and other injury- and illness-related costs.
  • Improved employee motivation to work safely, leading to better quality and productivity.
  • Positive community recognition and interaction.
  • Further improvement and revitalization of already good safety and health programs.
  • Partnership with OSHA.

For more information, contact the VPP manager in your OSHA regional office.

OSHA has initiated partnerships with employers, employees, and employee representatives in a wide range of industries to encourage, assist, and recognize efforts to eliminate workplace hazards. Participants work together to identify a common goal, develop plans to achieve it, and implement those plans in a cooperative way. Partnerships can transform relationships between OSHA and an employer or entire industry. Former adversaries recognize that working together to solve workplace safety and health problems is to everyone's advantage.

For more information, contact your OSHA regional office.

In March 2002, OSHA created the Alliance Program. This cooperative program enables organizations committed to safety and health to work with OSHA to prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace. OSHA and Alliance participants work together to reach out to, educate, and lead the nation's employers and their employees in advancing workplace safety and health. Groups that can form an Alliance with OSHA include employers, labor unions, trade or professional groups, government agencies, and educational institutions.

There are many benefits to participating in an Alliance with OSHA. The agreements, which are signed for two years, help organizations to:

  • Build trusting, cooperative relationships with the Agency.
  • Network with others committed to workplace safety and health.
  • Leverage resources to maximize worker safety and health protection.
  • Gain recognition as proactive labor leaders in safety and health.

Organizations may be cooperating with OSHA for the first time, or they may be continuing existing relationships with the Agency established through cooperative programs.

For more information, visit the Alliance Program Web page.

A good, effectively managed worker safety and health program can be a big factor in reducing work-related injuries and illnesses and their related costs. OSHA offers voluntary guidelines to help employers and employees in workplaces it covers develop effective safety and health programs. Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines (Federal Register 54(18): 3908-3916, January 26, 1989) identifies four general elements critical to a successful safety and health management system. These are:

  • Management leadership and employee involvement.
  • An analysis of worksite hazards.
  • Use of hazard prevention and control initiatives.
  • Safety and health training.

These guidelines are posted on the OSHA website.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 encourages states to develop and operate their own job safety and health plans. States that do so must adopt standards and enforce requirements that are at least as effective as federal requirements. There are twenty-eight OSHA-approved State Plans, operating state-wide occupational safety and health programs.

Various organizations can provide you with safety and health information that may help you in formulating your emergency action plan, or in taking steps to protect your employees during an emergency. A few are listed here.

Safety Data Sheets, Guides and Manuals:

  • AIHA Hygienic Guide Series. American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA).
  • ANSI Standards, Z37 Series, Acceptable Concentrations of Toxic Dusts and Gases.
  • ASTM Standards and Related Material. American Society for Testing and Materials.
  • International Code Council
  • National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). A clearinghouse for information on fire protection and prevention as well as NFPA standards.

Safety Standards and Specifications Groups:

  • American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Coordinates and administers the federal voluntary standardization system in the United States.
  • American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). The world's largest source of voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems, and services.

Insurance and Listing Organizations:

  • Factory Insurance Association. Composed of capital stock insurance companies that provide engineering, inspection, and loss-adjustment services.
  • Factory Mutual System. An industrial fire protection, engineering, and inspection bureau established by mutual fire insurance companies.
  • Underwriter Laboratories (UL). A nonprofit organization that publishes annual lists of manufacturers that provide products meeting appropriate standards.

To report accidents, unsafe working conditions, or safety & health violations:

Contact the OSHA Office nearest you, see map of offices, or, contact our toll free number: 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). TTY 1-877-889-5627.