Idaho Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Program
Welcome
Important: Contact OSHA Idaho at (208) 321-2960, or email oshaboise@dol.gov to report workplace concerns to OSHA.
This website is the Idaho Occupational Safety & Health Consultation Program for Idaho. We are separate from OSHA enforcement and are not involved in enforcement activities.
Idaho Occupational Safety & Health Consultation Program consultants conduct onsite consultation visits to companies that request our services, including industrial hygiene services (noise and air sampling).
Scheduling of visits depends on factors such as geographic location, the types of services requested, and the scheduling priorities set forth for our program by OSHA. The process can take two months (or more).
Our offices are open to the public during regular business hours: 8am – 5pm, Monday-Thursday, except for holidays. We send and receive mail on Tuesday-Thursday mornings only.
About Us
The Idaho Occupational Safety & Health Consultation Program provides free occupational safety and health services to small businesses within the state to help them understand and follow the rules and regulations required by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA).
We do this mainly through onsite consultation services and our DVD lending library. Once invited to your business, our consultants can help with hazard recognition, reduction and elimination; industrial hygiene monitoring; and written program requirements. Our lending library can help you with training, and increase your knowledge of occupational safety and health.
We are funded by OSHA through the Department of Labor, but are not involved in enforcement. Our consultants do not impose penalties or fines during a visit with your business.
You can find us on the Boise State University campus in the Chrisway Annex building at 2103 University Drive in Boise. Normal business hours are 8am – 5pm, and we follow the university’s schedule for holidays.
Not an Idaho business? Check with the consultation program in your state to see what services they offer small businesses like yours. You can contact your state’s program through the OSHA website.
Why Consultation?
Between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023 (our most recent full-service financial year), program consultants visited 113 businesses throughout the state. Industries visited included Manufacturing, Construction, Agriculture, and the Service and Retail/Wholesale sectors.
During those 113 visits 1,046 serious hazards were identified, an average of 9.78 per visit. As a result of identifying those hazards, and the follow up undertaken by the employer, 4,794 people were removed from risk. Many employees were removed from multiple risks. A total of 4,492 people were removed from risk of other than serious hazards that were identified by our consultants.
Improving workplace safety and health not only protects employees, it can reduce medical and insurance costs for employers, and increase productivity.
More information about how effective safety and health programs can save you money can be found on OSHA’s Safety Management webpage.
How Can We Help?
News and Updates
National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-By Incidents is April 15-19, 2024
Struck-by incidents are the second leading cause of death among construction workers and the leading cause of nonfatal injuries. The National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents raises awareness of these incidents by bringing employers and employees together to stop work and talk about safety. The Stand-Down is hosted, in part, by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR). This year’s Stand-Down will focus on internal traffic control plans and work zone safety. For information about how to participate and to promote your event, visit the CPWR website.
OSHA Releases Hazard Alert for the Food Processing Industry
OSHA has released a hazard alert directed to employers, contractors, staffing agencies and employees in the food processing industry to raise awareness regarding the alarming number of serious preventable injuries – including deaths – the work sector is facing. The alert includes cleaning and maintenance shifts.
To read the hazard alert, please see the downloadable pdf linked here: OSHA4407 Severe Injuries in the Food Processing Industry (pdf).
OSHA Withdraws COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard
OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard (ETS) issued on Nov. 5, 2021, to protect unvaccinated employees of large employers with 100 or more employees from workplace exposure to coronavirus. The withdrawal was effective January 26, 2022.
Although OSHA is withdrawing the vaccination and testing ETS as an enforceable emergency temporary standard, the agency is not withdrawing the ETS as a proposed rule. The agency is prioritizing its resources to focus on finalizing a permanent COVID-19 Healthcare Standard.
For more information, please refer to OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS webpage and Federal Register Notice.