As a Florida Bar Board Certified Construction Lawyer in Tampa, Fla., Trent Cotney handles all aspects of construction law and commercial litigation and arbitration, including OSHA defense. He provided the legal perspective on preventing and defending OSHA citations at Best of Success in his presentation titled “The OSHA Inspection and Citation Process.”
Cotney stated that the best way contractors can help themselves in the event of an OSHA inspection is to have a well-defined safety program in place before the inspector shows up at the jobsite — and be able to prove it. This includes having a comprehensive safety manual, and documentating all training sessions and disciplinary actions. “The best paper wins the day,” he said. “Proper documentation will help you tremendously. If you don’t have it, go home and get it tonight because it will be the difference between beating a citation and getting one.”