Offers no-cost and confidential occupational safety and health services to small businesses with priority given to high-hazard worksites

This cooperative agreement award of $1,751,300 from the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will fund occupational safety and health consultation services delivered by Mississippi State University through its Consultation Agreements program. The university will provide no-cost and confidential workplace safety services to small businesses in Mississippi with a focus on high-hazard worksites. Services include on-site consultation visits to identify hazards, provide compliance assistance with OSHA standards, and help establish or improve safety programs. The awardee aims to conduct at least 90% of initial visits at high-hazard, small and very small establishments and will verify timely correction of all serious identified hazards. This award advances the program's goal of targeting consultative services to smaller employers in hazardous industries.

Consultants from state agencies or universities work with employers to identify workplace hazards, provide advice for compliance with OSHA standards, and assist in establishing and improving safety and health programs. Activities performed consultation visits, which can be either full service or limited service in scope. Full-service visits provide a complete, safety and/or health hazard assessment of all working conditions, equipment, processes, and OSHA or state plan mandated programs. On the other hand, a limited-service visit provides a less complete safety and/or health hazard assessment providing a focused assessment of a particular work process, or OSHA or state plan mandated programs. Deliverables deliverables: 1.) conduct at least 90% of initial visits in high hazard establishments. 2.) conduct at least 90% of initial visits at establishments with 250 or less employees 3.) conduct at least 90% of initial visits at establishments controlled by an employer with 500 or less employees. 4.) conduct 100% of visits where employees were intervieiwed. 5.) verify that 100% of serious and imminent hazards identifed are corrected in a timely manner (