Employers Decry OSHA Plan To Allow Inspections At SHARP Sites

Business representatives are strongly protesting OSHA's proposal to stop offering multi-year blanket inspection exemptions for employers participating in the agency's on-site consultation program, known as the Safety and Health Achievement and Recognition Program (SHARP). Union officials favor the change, but industry officials say the move undermines the program and speculate that OSHA's voluntary compliance efforts will take on new importance if Republicans make significant gains in Tuesday's mid-term elections. The comment period on the proposal closed Tuesday, and a host of businesses urge