Idaho Occupational Safety and Health Consultation Program
Welcome
Idaho OSHCon 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 are sending and receiving mail on Tuesday and Thursday mornings only.
About Us
The Idaho Occupational Safety & Health Consultation Program (OSHCon) 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 September 1, 2018, and October 30, 2019 (our most recent full-service financial year), OSHCon’s consultants visited 155 businesses throughout the state. Industries visited included Manufacturing, Construction, Agriculture, and the Service and Retail/Wholesale sectors.
During those 155 visits 2,195 serious hazards were identified, an average of 14.16 per visit. As a result of identifying those hazards, and the follow up undertaken by the employer, 11,215 people were removed from risk. Many employees were removed from multiple risks. A total of 13, 211 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 $afety Pays webpage.
How Can We Help?
News and Updates
National Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week, 2023
The National Stand Up 4 Grain Safety week is presented each year by the Alliance, a collaboration of agricultural industry groups. This year, it is being held March 27-31. Grain Safety Week includes a series of free, live virtual presentations. 2023 topics include powered industrial trucks, preventive maintenance, heat and extreme weather, and anhydrous ammonia and fumigation. Some sessions will be presented in English and Spanish.
For more information, and to register, visit the Stand Up 4 Grain Safety website.

Registration for Boise Safety Fest 2023 is Open
The 17th Annual Safety Fest of the Great Northwest Boise is being held January 24-26 at the Boise State University Student Union building. A variety of free safety and health-related classes are available. Registration is via the Safety Fest website.
Idaho OSHCon staff will conduct the OSHA Ten-Hour General Industry training January 25-26.
September 5-9, 2022 is Construction Suicide Prevention Week
The construction industry has one of the highest rates of suicides among all occupations, four times higher than in the general population. September 5-9 is Construction Suicide Prevention Week, when events will be held nationwide to raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by construction workers, and what we can do to help safeguard their mental health, and lives. Register your participation online, sign up for a free September 8 webinar, and visit OSHA’s Preventing Suicides webpage for more resources.
ESI Hosts Safety Stand Down May 4, 2022, in Meridian
Each year in the U.S., nearly 400 construction workers are killed, and over 10,000 are seriously injured by falls. The National Fall Prevention Safety Stand‐Down is a voluntary opportunity for employers to stop work and provide training to employees on fall hazards, protective methods, and an employer’s safety policies, goals, and expectations.
The National Stand Down Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction is a joint effort by government, labor, and management to address the top cause of construction industry fatalities.
ESI is hosting the National Stand Down in Boise by conducting a training event on May 4, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Eagle View Landing, located at 936 West Silverstone Way, Meridian. ESI will stop work at the Eagle View Landing project and several other projects in the area to conduct a one‐hour fall protection training. Representatives from the Boise OSHA office and the BSU OSHA Consultation office will be present.
Please plan for all your workers to attend. A free lunch will be provided.
For more information visit the OSHA Stand Down website , or the Safety Stand Down website.
OSHA Starts Enforcement Program for Injury and Illness Data Submission
OSHA is initiating an enforcement program that identifies employers who failed to submit Form 300A data through the agency’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA). Annual electronic submissions are required by establishments with 250 or more employees currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records, and establishments with 20-249 employees classified in specific industries with historically high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses.
The program matches newly opened inspections against a list of potential non-responders to OSHA’s collection of Form 300A data through the ITA and reports all matches to the appropriate OSHA area office. If the area office determines that the establishment on the list is the same establishment where the inspection was opened, OSHA will issue citations for failure to submit OSHA Form 300A Summary data.
In addition to identifying non-responders at the establishment level, the agency is also reviewing the 2021 submitted data to identify non-responders at a corporate-wide level. This corporate level review is being conducted for the nation’s largest employers.
OSHA developed the program in response to recommendations from the Government Accountability Office to improve reporting of summary injury and illness data. The initiative will begin in early April.
“OSHA believes that it is vital for the public to have access to illness and injury information that employers provide in their annual submissions,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “We are committed to enforcing this important requirement and will continue to look for strategies to reach full compliance.”
The agency is also posting ITA data as part of its electronic recordkeeping requirements for certain employers. By mid-March, 289,849 establishments had submitted their OSHA Form 300A information.
Public access to injury and illness data for industries, companies and establishments allows employers, workers, potential employees, and others to better understand workplace safety and health outcomes at an employer or industry, allowing them to make valuable insights and informed decisions. Employers of all sizes can use this data to benchmark with others in their industry or compare results across their operations. This accessibility will help identify and mitigate workplace hazards, and ultimately result in the reduction of occupational injuries and illnesses.
Learn more about OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Registration for 2022 Stand up 4 Grain Safety Week Opens
Registration for Stand Up 4 Grain Safety is now open. Topics for this year’s event include heat/cold stress and personal protective equipment. Registration is free. The event is virtual.
For more information, visit Stand Up 4 Grain Safety.
2022 Northwest Safety & Health Summit Comes to Boise
The 2022 Northwest Safety & Health Summit , presented by the Region X Voluntary Protection Programs Participants’ Association (VPPPA) is being held in Boise on May 10-12.
This summit is designed for all industries and worksites, even if they are not in the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP). All safety managers/coordinators and safety committee members can benefit from this workplace safety training and networking.
Further information, including a link to register and the conference program, can be found on the VPPPA’s website.
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 is 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.
Injury and Illness Data Collection for 2021 is Underway
OSHA is reminding employers that the agency began collecting calendar year 2021 Form 300A data on Jan. 2, 2022. Employers must submit the form electronically by March 2, 2022.
Electronic submissions are required by establishments with 250 or more employees currently required to keep OSHA injury and illness records, and establishments with 20-249 employees classified in specific industries with historically high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses.
Visit the Injury Tracking Application Electronic Submission of Injury and Illness Records to OSHA for more information and a link to the Injury Tracking Application.