Washington — OSHA has renewed and revised its National Emphasis Program on preventing amputations in the manufacturing industry.
The NEP, which went into effect June 27, features “significant” changes. For instance, any establishment inspected under the NEP in the previous 24 months – and with no reported amputations during that period – “may be deleted from the programmed inspection list.”
Other changes:
- Unprogrammed inspections may be expanded to an amputations NEP inspection only if the establishment’s North American Industry Classification System code is listed in Appendix B of the NEP.
- Any establishment that has 10 or fewer employees and has its primary NAICS code listed on the “Low-Hazard Industry Table” of the Appropriations Act directive should not be inspected under the NEP.
- Revision to industry targeting methodology in Appendix A – Amputations Targeting Methodology.
- Updates to Appendix B – Covered NAICS Codes, to reflect the revisions to Appendix A as well as data from 2019 to 2023.
“OSHA’s enforcement history shows that employees are often injured when machinery or equipment is not properly guarded or safely maintained, or when hazardous energy is not controlled,” the NEP directive states. “This NEP targets industrial and manufacturing workplaces having machinery and equipment that can potentially cause amputations.”
The NEP is set to expire in 2030.
