29 CFR §1910.28 - Precision Machined Products Association

The Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP) directive became effective on June 18.

(You wouldn’t know it from the OSHA website, they didn’t provide either a date or directive number on their “directive.” But negligence on their part on paperwork isn’t the crime that it is when employers make a paperwork omission…)

According to the unnumbered, undated Directive posted on the website, “This new directive establishes procedures and enforcement actions, including mandatory follow-up inspections and inspections of other worksites of the same company where similar hazards or deficiencies may be present. It replaces OSHA’s Enhanced Enforcement Program (EEP).”

“This Instruction establishes enforcement policies and procedures for OSHA’s Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP), which concentrates resources on inspecting employers who have demonstrated indifference to their OSH Act obligations by committing willful, repeated, or failure-to-abate violations. Enforcement actions for severe violator cases include mandatory follow-up inspections, increased company/corporate awareness of OSHA enforcement, corporate-wide agreements, where appropriate, enhanced settlement provisions, and federal court enforcement under Section 11(b) of the OSH Act.”

What can trigger SVEP Status?
Willful, repeated or failure-to-abate violations in one or more of the following circumstances:
• A fatality or catastrophe situation
• Industry operations or processes that expose workers to severe occupational hazards
• Workers exposed to hazards related to the potential releases of highly hazardous chemicals
• Egregious enforcement actions
For our industry, Falls (General Industry) and Amputations appear to be the primary categories for awareness.
Here are the appropriate references for Fall Hazards, General Industry:
29 CFR §1910.23 – Guarding floor and wall openings and holes [Walking-Working Surfaces]
29 CFR §1910.28 – Safety requirements for scaffolding [Walking- Working Surfaces]
29 CFR §1910.29 – Manually propelled mobile ladder stands and scaffolds (towers) [Walking-Working Surfaces]
29 CFR §1910.66 – Powered platforms for building maintenance [Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms]
29 CFR §1910.67 – Vehicle-mounted elevating and rotating work platforms [Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms]
29 CFR §1910.68 – Manlifts [Powered Platforms, Manlifts, and Vehicle-Mounted Work Platforms]
For Amputations Information see this link: Amputations
And don’t expect any slack for paperwork omissions, like say, omitting a directive control number or date on a record…