The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule on April 1 concerning the rights of employees to authorize a representative to accompany an OSHA compliance officer during an inspection of their workplace.

In a statement, OSHA noted: “The Occupational Safety and Health Act gives the employer and employees the right to authorize a representative to accompany OSHA officials during a workplace inspection. The final rule clarifies that, consistent with the law, workers may authorize another employee to serve as their representative or select a non-employee. For a non-employee representative to accompany the compliance officer in a workplace, they must be reasonably necessary to conduct an effective and thorough inspection.”

LeadingAge will analyze the rule and provide additional information in the days ahead. An OSHA Frequently Asked Questions resource is available here.