When a customer needs help complying with OSHA's fall protection regulations, the team at Reliable Safety Products doesn't waste any time. The Charlotte, N.C.-based distributor rolls out its fall protection demo trailer right to the job site, where it works closely with the contractor to ensure that all employees are trained on the basics of how to use, wear, clean and inspect the life-saving equipment.

The trailer gets rave reviews from customers, according to John Cincotta, owner of the two-location, 20-employee safety distributor. “We find that, particularly in the construction field, there's a diverse array of safety issues to deal with, and customers are looking for all the help they can get,” Cincotta says.

Going a step further, the distributor also offers certified instrument repair centers, where customers can take equipment such as gas-detection units and self-contained breathing apparatuses for quick service.

“We've found that our role is changing into more of a full-service company,” says Cincotta, who credits the proliferation of general-line distributors with creating the need for specialists who can provide accurate, in-depth advice on basic equipment servicing to OSHA compliance, and everything in between.

“Those broad-range distributors carry everything, including safety equipment. As such, safety specialists tend to focus more on the compliance issues and services that target the end user,” says Cincotta, who calls the shift “somewhat profitable” for distributorships like his. “It leads to additional business, and a level at which customers are buying less on price and more on the fact that we can support other facets of their business.”

The very thought of an OSHA audit can send a shiver up the spine of the construction firm that's heard the horror stories circulating about the fines and penalties associated with non-compliance. In place since 1970, The Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act was created to ensure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards. The agency also provides training, outreach and education, and encourages continual improvement in workplace safety and health.

OSHA and its state partners have approximately 2,100 inspectors nationwide who—along with complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support personnel—are charged with establishing and enforcing protective standards, and reaching out to employers and employees through technical assistance and consultation programs.

The good news, says Jennifer L. Schneider, associate professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology's College of Applied Science & Technology, is that OSHA compliance isn't as hard to achieve as some might think. “We work with a wide range of companies, and going into it most of them think compliance will be too much of a headache,” Schneider explains. “So they'd rather not know until someone gets hurt, or their luck runs out.”

Schneider says following OSHA's seemingly complex regulations can be as simple as walking around your customer's operations, looking closely, and picking up on any obvious hazards. Talk to employees about any hazards they may have noticed while working, she adds, then work with customers to take reasonable steps to fix those issues.

In doing so, your customers will not only avoid fines and penalties that can exceed $70,000, says Schneider, but they may also see productivity gains as employees become more confident in operating in a safe workplace.

Schneider points out that while OSHA is a federal organization, roughly half of the states maintain state-based occupational health and safety programs that also come into play. “While the state programs must enforce OSHA regulations,” says Schneider, “they can also enact more regulations than the federal government.”

Ed Stephenson doesn't want to be thought of as an ambulance chaser, but on more than one occasion he has received “OSHA was here, and we need to talk now,” calls from contractors who have had fines levied against them by the organization. “Often times we'll step in after [another company] has sold them something, but neglected to tell them how to use it,” says Stephenson, vice president at Denver-based Essential Safety Products.

With a team of factory-trained technicians on staff, the distributor steps in to remind customers to take simple steps like bump-checking, calibrating and checking the oxygen cells on their gas detectors. The company also helps customers build safety programs from conception to completion, handles job safety risk analyses, and provides training on a broad range of compliance-related issues.

With five locations in the Northwest, Safety and Supply Co. of Seattle also steps up to the plate to help customers with OSHA compliance. Recently, the 75-employee distributor helped a customer develop a respiratory program, showing it “what needed to be done, and how to set the program up,” says Brent Knight, manager of business development.

The program was short lived, says Knight, but kicked back into gear after OSHA issued, “a very large citation for not following the rules.”

Involved with groups such as the American Society of Safety Engineers, and various construction and safety groups, Knight says his firm stays on top of OSHA regulations by participating in ongoing education and staying in close contact with regulatory bodies. “They know us, and we know them very well,” says Knight. “We're kind of like the golden child to them. They send everybody our way.”

Cincotta says his firm partners with OSHA compliance experts who provide consultative services, and point customers in their direction to help measure safety at the job site. “We've tried to do this ourselves, but found that customers saw a conflict of interest between our role as product provider and our role as consultant,” Cincotta explains. “We don't want customers to get the idea that our consultants are out there to promote product.”

Essential Safety Products has a team of consultants and trainers who stay abreast of new OSHA regulations and requirements. “We task them with making sure they're on top of it all,” says Stephenson. “OSHA Region 8 is right across town, and one of my employees is in constant correspondence with them.” In September, the distributor held a training session for OSHA compliance officers to discuss special rescue retrieval situations that it has encountered on oil field drilling rigs.

The fact that safety distributors are going the extra mile to help their customers navigate the complex waters of OSHA compliance is no surprise to George Hayward, president of Cincinnati-based United Sales Associates, a manufacturer's rep organization. Over the years, he's seen an upswing in the number of customers who need help with myriad job site safety issues.

Who better than the distributor to help with such issues?

“The big box can sell a hammer, but can't educate customers on how to determine acceptable free-fall heights on the job site,” says Hayward. “Where they can point out that the fall protection equipment is located in aisle four, the construction specialist serves as a knowledgeable resource on how to use, maintain and repair the product in a way that complies with OSHA requirements.”