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The On-site Consultation Program’s Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) recognizes small employers who operate an exemplary safety and health management system. Acceptance of your worksite into SHARP from OSHA is an achievement of status that singles you out among your business peers as a model for worksite safety and health. Upon receiving SHARP recognition, OSHA exempts your worksite from OSHA programmed inspections during the period that your SHARP certification is valid.

What are the benefits of SHARP?

By achieving SHARP status, you have placed yourself in an elite group of small businesses that maintain exemplary safety and health management systems. In addition to being granted an exemption from OSHA programmed inspections for up to 2 years, and subsequent renewal for up to 3 years,^*you:

Provide Protection

• Protect workers from all safety and health hazards that may exist at your workplace;
• Work with OSHA to identify and implement best practices to protect your workers;
• Develop an innovative safety and health management system for your business that will protect your workers.

Create a Culture

• Create a better working environment free of safety and health hazards;
• Boost worker morale by involving workers in creating a culture that emphasizes a safe and healthful workplace;
• Improve communication among workers and management;
• Encourage safety in the community as workers may transfer safe and healthy work practices outside of the workplace.

Build a Reputation

• Receive official recognition from OSHA for your achievement of SHARP status and for maintaining an exemplary safety and health management system;
• Become a leader in your industry by providing a safe and healthy workplace for workers;
• Attract skillful workers looking to join a business that is at the forefront of its industry in providing a safe and healthy workplace for its workers;

Save Money

• Lower worker compensation insurance premiums;
• Improve your worker retention and reduce costly turnover;
• Reduce worker days away from work to keep operations and production running smoothly;

How can my small business participate?

To participate in SHARP, you must:

• Request a comprehensive consultation visit from your On-site Consultation office that involves a complete hazard identification survey;
• Involve employees in the consultation process;
• Correct all hazards identified by the consultant;
• Implement and maintain a safety and health management system that, at a minimum, addresses OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines;
• Maintain your company's Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate and Total Recordable Case (TRC) rate below the national average for your industry; and
• Agree to notify your state’s On-site Consultation office prior to making any changes in the working conditions or introducing new hazards into the workplace.

To schedule an On-site Consultation visit and determine your eligibility for SHARP, contact your state’s On-site Consultation office.

What if we aren't quite ready for SHARP?

If you meet most but not all of the SHARP eligibility criteria and are committed to working toward SHARP approval, you may be recommended by your state On-site Consultation Project Manager for Pre-SHARP status. Upon achieving Pre-SHARP status, you are granted a deferral from OSHA programmed inspections^*.

To achieve Pre-SHARP status:

• You have had a full service, comprehensive consultation visit at your worksite;
• You have corrected all hazards identified by the consultant(s);
• You have informed your workers of hazard correction(s);
• You are in the process of implementing an effective safety and health management system; and
• You can meet all SHARP requirements during the Pre-SHARP deferral period, not to exceed a total of 18 months.

To determine your eligibility for Pre-SHARP, please schedule an On-site Consultation visit by contacting the On-site Consultation office in your state.

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^*Participation in SHARP does not eliminate the rights of responsibilities of owners or workers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Under OSHA, the following types of incidents can trigger an OSHA enforcement inspection at SHARP sites: formal complaints, fatality, imminent danger situations and any other significant events as directed by the Assistant Secretary of OSHA.