SHARP FAQs

For businesses already in Oklahoma OSHA Consultation Program: Everyone currently in the program.

For new businesses who want to join: The size requirements for employer participation in SHARP are 250 or fewer onsite employees and fewer than 500 corporate-wide employees. This upper corporate size limit does not apply to individual franchisees.

By achieving SHARP status, you have placed yourself in an elite group of small businesses that maintain exemplary safety and health programs. 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 programs 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 programs;
• 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;
• See how many worksites have become Small Business Success Stories through SHARP! 

To participate in SHARP, you must:

Request a comprehensive safety and health consultation visit that involves a complete hazard identification survey;

Involve employees in the consultation process;

Correct all hazards identified by the consultant;

Implement and maintain an safety and health programs that, at a minimum, addresses OSHA's Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines; Issuance of Voluntary 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 OSHA Consultation prior to making any changes in the working conditions or introducing new hazards into the workplace.

Schedule an OSHA Consultation visit and determine your eligibility for SHARP.

After you satisfy all SHARP requirements, the Consultation Project Manager will recommend your worksite for SHARP approval. The state and OSHA will formally recognize your worksite with a SHARP Certificate. Oklahoma Department of Labor will coordinate with your worksites to hold a ceremony and further recognize your achievements.

When you are initially certified as a SHARP site, you will be granted an exemption from OSHA programmed inspections for 1 to 2 years. After your initial certification, you may request SHARP renewal for up to 1 or 2 years, provided, that you:

Apply for renewal during the last quarter of the exemption period;

Allow a full service comprehensive visit to ensure that your exemplary safety and health programs has been effectively maintained or improved;

Continue to meet all SHARP eligibility criteria and program requirements; and agree, if requesting a renewal, to conduct and submit an Interim Year SHARP Site Self-Evaluation to your state On-site Consultation Program Manager that is based on the elements of the Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines; Issuance of Voluntary Guidelines and includes your worksite's injury and illness logs that are required by OSHA to be maintained.