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Commonwealth of Kentucky Labor Cabinet

Workplace Standards

OSH Compliance

Introduction

The Division of Compliance is responsible for the enforcement of Kentucky's Occupational Safety and Health Standards. Safety compliance officers and industrial hygienists inspect workplaces to assure there are no hazardous conditions that would threaten the health or safety of workers. Should such a condition be found, inspectors may issue citations for violations of Kentucky statutes or standards. Inspections may be the result of regular scheduling, imminent danger reports, accident or fatality reports, employee complaints or referrals from other agencies.


What to do in case of an accident, amputation, loss of eye, or fatality

  • Incident: Fatality
    Reporting Time: Within 8 hours
    Report To:
    Division of Compliance, 502-564-3535
    OSHA after hours, 800-321-6742
    Time Limitation:
    All fatalities must be reported. There is no time limitation.
  • Incident: Hospitalization of 3 or more employees
    Reporting Time: Within 8 hours
    Report To:
    Division of Compliance, 502-564-3535
    OSHA after hours, 800-321-6742
    Time Limitation:
    All hospitalizations of 3 or more employees must be reported. There is no time limitation.
  • Incident: Hospitalization of 1 or 2 employees
    Reporting Time: Within 72 hours
    Report To:
    Division of Compliance, 502-564-3535
    OSHA after hours, 800-321-6742
    Time Limitation:
    Hospitalizations of 1 or 2 employees which occur more than 72 hours following an incident are not required to be reported.
  • Incident: Amputation
    Reporting Time: Within 72 hours
    Report To:
    Division of Compliance, 502-564-3535
    OSHA after hours, 800-321-6742
    Time Limitation:
    All amputations must be reported. There is no time limitation.
  • Incident: Loss of eye
    Reporting Time: Within 72 hours
    Report To:
    Division of Compliance, 502-564-3535
    OSHA after hours, 800-321-6742
    Time Limitation:
    All losses of eye must be reported. There is no time limitation.

Notes

* Reporting time is the time from which an employer, employer’s agent, or another employee first becomes aware of the fatality, hospitalization, amputation, or loss of eye.

* If the Frankfort office is closed and you cannot talk to a person, then you must call the OSHA toll-free number at 800-321-6742 and report the incident. Messages or faxes are not accepted to meet this reporting requirement.

Inspection Data

Top Standards Cited by KY OSHA

Complaints

Kentucky statutes regarding requests for inspections require that notices of violations or danger "shall be reduced to writing, shall set forth with reasonable particularity the grounds for the notice, and shall be signed by the employee or representative of employees..." (KRS Chapter 338.121). Thus, electronic complaints do not meet the criteria set forth by Kentucky's Occupational Safety and Health laws.

Employees or their representatives may also choose to send a signed letter that contains the same information in lieu of this form.

OSH Complaint Form (English and Spanish) [PDF, 60KB]
OSH Complaint Form (English and Spanish) [WORD, 101KB]

Discrimination

You may contact Mary Toohey, Discrimination Investigator, at (502) 564-4258 for help with a discrimination claim.

Employees or their representatives may also choose to send a signed letter that contains the same information in lieu of this form.

Discrimination Form [PDF, 111KB]

OSH Regulations

The following industry-specific OSH regulations are applicable in Kentucky:

  • General Industry
  • Construction
  • Maritime
  • Agriculture

Kentucky's OSH regulations are found at 803 Kentucky Administrative Regulations Chapter 2. The regulations consist of:

  • State-specific regulations unique to Kentucky
  • OSHA regulations adopted with state-specific provisions
  • OSHA regulations adopted without change.

View 803 Kentucky Administrative Regulations Chapter 2

Kentucky specific general industry and construction regulations, along with federal general industry and construction standards, are provided free of charge on a compact disc.

The Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards for Construction and General Industry publication is available online or in hard copy. This unofficial publication contains only Kentucky-specific regulations adopted by the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board, or the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, which supersede OSHA standards.

29 CFR PART 1910 and 29 CFR PART 1926 are available in hard copy from the U.S. Government Bookstore.

For a free compact disc or hard copy edition:

Request OSH Publications


Adoption of OSHA Standards and Policies

The Kentucky OSH Program, under the statutory authority of KRS Chapter 338 and through a state plan approved by the U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, maintains authority for enforcement, on-site consultation, standards promulgation, and training services related to workplace safety and health. Therefore, the Kentucky OSH Program may or may not adopt federal standards or policies. Employers and employees may contact the Kentucky OSH Program at (502) 564-3070 to determine if the Kentucky OSH Program comports with federal standards or policies.

RegWatch

RegWatch is a free service that enables users to register with state government agencies to receive notification of changes to existing administrative regulations or receive notice of newly-proposed regulations. Users have the ability to register here by agency, by topic, or a combination of both.

Register for RegWatch

OSH Program Instructions

OSH Field Operation Manual

*Chapters not shown are reserved.

Post Inspection Guide

An inspection of your workplace was conducted in accordance with the KRS Chapter 338. The compliance safety and health officer (CSHO) who conducted the inspection has found conditions that may be in violation of the law. The information relative to these conditions will be evaluated by the CSHO's supervisor. If it is determined that a violation does exist, you will be issued a "Citation and Notification of Penalty" that explains in detail the exact nature of the violation(s) and any associated penalties.

View the Full Post Inspection Guide