On May 28, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) celebrated the 50th anniversary of its nonenforcement program On-Site Consultation. Launched in 1975, the program has expanded to serve all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories. According to OSHA, the program helps employers identify workplace hazards, improve safety practices, and build strong safety and health programs, all without triggering agency enforcement.
The program has averaged nearly 24,000 worksite visits annually in the last decade—98% to worksites with 250 or fewer employees—and protected nearly 3 million workers from exposure to hazards each year, according to the agency. A 2023 OSHA economic analysis estimated that consultation program efforts generate $1.5 billion in national benefits annually through fewer injuries and illnesses, lower workers’ compensation costs, and increased productivity.
In its 50 years, the on-site consultation program has:
- Surpassed 1 million site visits in 2010.
- Supported recovery efforts following national disasters like 9/11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Maria.
- Launched digital resources like the Small Business Handbook app to make safety information more accessible.
- Created the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP), which honors small businesses with outstanding safety programs. SHARP status includes a deferral from programmed OSHA inspections. Currently, SHARP recognizes approximately 1,000 employers for their safety leadership.
CSB releases second update on Bio-Lab fire investigation
On May 23, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a second update on its ongoing investigation into the September 29, 2024, chemical fire at the Bio-Lab, Inc., facility in Conyers, Georgia.
The incident occurred when reactive materials stored in a warehouse came into contact with water. A chemical reaction generated intense heat, triggered the decomposition of materials, and ignited multiple fires.
Events led to the release of toxic vapors and a massive plume of potentially toxic smoke, resulting in widespread public safety actions that included road closures; the evacuation of approximately 17,000 residents of the surrounding community; and “shelter-in-place” orders affecting approximately 90,000 people across the Atlanta metropolitan area. Shelter-in-place alerts for a 2-mile radius around the facility continued nightly for nearly three weeks. While no injuries were reported, the warehouse was ultimately destroyed.
At approximately 5:00 a.m. on the morning of September 29, 2024, a Bio-Lab employee heard a loud “popping” noise and detected heat and smoke near the warehouse floor—an indication that water may have interacted with reactive chemicals like trichloroisocyanuric acid (TCCA) and sodium dichloroisocyanurate (DCCA). Flames were first observed around 6:30 a.m. on the roof and inside the building, and a second, larger fire erupted around noon, producing thick, multicolored smoke and small explosions as unstable chemicals reacted violently.
The CSB is still investigating the source of the water release that triggered the incident. Information obtained by the CSB showed recurrent corrosion in the facility’s fire protection system. According to the board, corrosion was noted shortly after the storage of corrosive chemicals began in 2019, and repeated failures in the sprinkler system were documented in subsequent inspection reports.
“The more we learn about this unacceptable incident, the more disturbing it is,” CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said in a statement. “This is a stark reminder of the very serious dangers that can occur when enormous amounts of reactive and corrosive chemicals are stored without proper safeguards in place.”