Ans: Yes we will do safety work anywhere in the world. However, we feel that this is cost prohibitive to the client. Besides the regular fee we charge, there is a fee for travel and expenses. In most cases there are qualified professionals in your State. We prefer to stay in Texas proper, which still covers a very large area. You can check with the American Society of Safety Engineers in the phone book of your city for a safety professional in your city.  If you cannot find anyone in your local area, then call us at 1-210-654-1122.

 2. Will PSC produce a written safety program for us?

Ans:Yes we will be happy to produce a written safety manual and/or a employee safety handbook for your company. We would prefer to inspect the facility first then produce a program, but we can send or E-mail you a questionnaire to fill out and from that we can produce the required documents for you.  Prices

 3. What would be the cost for producing just written materials?

Ans:The cost varies, depending on the complexity of the program, but as a rule the documents ( handbook and/or safety manual) can be produced for $1,500.00 each. We guarantee that the information in those documents will meet OSHA requirements, but we cannot guarantee that you will implement all of the recommendations and requirements contained in them, so they do not meet the criteria for our OSHA guarantee.  Prices

 4. Do all of your clients receive PSC's exclusive OSHA guarantee when they first become a customer?

Ans:No, in order to receive this guarantee, each facility must be inspected and all discrepancies must be abated and brought within OSHA standards. All employees and supervisors must attend the new employee and supervisor orientations. The client must have quarterly inspections and on-site safety meetings to maintain the guarantee.
Construction sites do not qualify however, because of the multi-employer clause in the OSHA standard. Construction companies can receive the guarantee on training and their home site facility. This is a benefit since many OSHA fines are for training and written programs. Once a company has followed these guidelines a guarantee certificate can be issued.

 5. Have you EVER paid any fines?

Ans:Yes, we are not perfect. If we have failed to interpret a standard and you are fined or if we miss an item for which you are fined, then we will pay that fine. We have paid about $3,500.00 in fines over the last 8 years.

 6. Is this guarantee like OSHA insurance?

Ans:No! This is a performance guarantee. If we fail to perform then we will pay the fine that we incurred. However, if we inform you of a condition or make available a training session that the client ignores and for which there is a fine issued, then it is the client's responsibility to pay that fine.

 7. How does your Prime Service work?

Ans:The PSC Prime Service Program is a turn-key program which includes all of the written programs and training required to comply with the OSHA standards. It also includes a certain number of physical inspections of your facility and on-site training for the employees. The reason we can provide this type of service is that we train supervisors from multiple company at one time. These sessions are held every week at our facilities in our primary cities. In other cities, we conduct this training on-site, along with the inspections. Prices for this service vary according to the number of times we are required to visit the facilities, the number of locations and the number of employees. But for a "rule of thumb", costs may be seen here Prices

8. My insurance company does that for me, why should I pay you, also?

Ans:Yes many insurance companies employ competent safety professionals. However, they do not "actually" conduct the training or, in most cases, they DO NOT produce the written materials that will comply with the law . If you will remember the last survey done by your insurance company, you will notice their report was a list of discrepancies and recommendations. Most of the time you are left on your own to "implement" their recommendations. If you do not or can not, you may be faced with termination of your coverage or loss of whatever discounts you may be receiving.

  9. I already have a consultant/service, what will you do differently?

Ans:That is wonderful, then you may not need our service. There are many skilled and qualified consultants available to you; we are among that group. However, we are different from many of them because we carry our own Errors and Omissions coverage, our own workers comp. insurance, and the biggest difference is the Exclusive OSHA Guarantee we offer.
If your present service makes all of this available to you, for such an affordable price, -- stay with them; if not, you may want to consider what the Prime Service can do for you.

  10. We have the OSHCON program so why would we need PSC?

Ans:That's great, many of our clients have worked with the OSHCON program. As you know, to receive that protection, you must have an aggressive safety program in place. Our program meets all of the requirements of the OSHCON program and will keep you in compliance. The OSHCON exemption is for programed inspections, ONLY. Programed inspections account for about 5% of the total inspections conducted by OSHA. This exemption, if earned, does not protect you from employee complaints or other serious conditions such as accidental deaths.

  11. OSHA is not a problem, we have never been inspected.

Ans:I understand, in most cases that is true, however, Texas ranks 2nd in total inspections and 2nd in total fines issued by OSHA. We expect OSHA to become even more aggressive with its fines, in the future. The PSC program has been designated as superior by OSHA inspectors, this alone can save you thousands.

  12. We do not have enough employees to be under the OSHA system.

Ans:We have heard that stated often, and the truth is the ONLY regulations that you are exempted from is OSHA 300 reporting and that is ONLY if you have fewer then 11 employees, for the entire year; and some minor written programs, otherwise, unless you are involved in one of the situations listed below, you are covered by the entire OSHA standard.:
 
 

• Self-employed (that's one person, only)
• Farms with ONLY family members
• Work places covered by other agencies.

 

 
 
 
 
 

Ans:That's great, we don't propose to take his/her place, but instead, help you and that person work together better. Do you honestly expect this "part time safety officer" to be able to keep your company safe from OSHA fines and provide the employees information on how to do their jobs safely, while still doing their "regular" job? There are thousands of regulations to which you may be subject and a part-time effort may not be enough. We have a full time staff working at this, and it remains one of our greatest challenges.
In addition to quantity of regulations, there is the issue of testifying in court. We have qualified people who can testify, in court, as expert witnesses on the Implementation of this particular safety program. This is a very specialized task, and it requires a specialized knowledge. If your "safety officer" is not qualified in this area, maybe PRIME SERVICE could help you.

  14. This sounds very expensive.

Ans:Yes, I am sure it seems that way, if the only component considered is the on site safety meeting. However, the program is all inclusive, besides the on-site training, you receive all of the written programs that OSHA requires, as well as the updates as they come into effect. It also includes expert witness testimony, if required, accident investigation, new employee orientation and supervisor orientation, a weekly safety fax and other support you may need.
Other programs charge you for each item separately; with the Prime Service you never pay extra for those services. This way you never hesitate when you need help, you don't need to negotiate every little item. By-the-way the cost for an average program is about $2.50 an hour!Prices

  15. Why do I have a 36 month agreement?

Ans:You don't really, the agreement has a 60 day "out" after the first year. The first year is mandatory because it takes us that long to put a program in place. After that you can discontinue it at will. The 36 month clause actually protects your price for 3 years.

  16. Can I start small and grow?

Ans:Yes certainly. You may start with a quarterly service and move to every other month, then finally, once per month, if you choose. You can even move to twice a month if you want; the fees will adjust accordingly.

 17. Why is this different from the program we have now?

Ans:The main difference is, we take on more responsibility than ever before. We schedule the facility inspections and reviews. We hold the training sessions and we update the paperwork as the laws change. You now have removed all of the gray from your decision making, we assist. You now can go back to making widgets, after all that's why you are in business.

  18. What is the "catch" to this guarantee?

Ans:There really isn't any "catch". This is the most straight forward guarantee you will ever read. It simply states that we will inspect the facility and we will make all of the training available to you and your staff. If you comply with the training and send us a letter of abatement on the discrepancies we note on our report, we will issue the guarantee. Then, if you are cited by OSHA, we will pay those fines we missed or mis-informed you.

  19. I don't have enough employees for OSHA to bother us.

Ans:OSHA does not restrict their inspections to companies with a specific number of employees. In fact, there are hundreds of citations worth thousands of dollars written to companies with as few as three employees. These inspections were both construction sites and general industry locations.

  20. We haven't had any injuries.

Ans:That must make you feel very good. We certainly hope you can continue with that wonderful record. The issue here is that serious injuries are not pre-planned; so this wonderful record can be changed in a split second.

  21. What is a formal - documented safety program like Prime Service?

Ans:A safety program, really is supposed to provide you with two components. One is a factual information resource; the other is a program to protect you from liability (negligence) suits. Even with workers' compensation insurance, you are not exempt from suits. Until you have been on the stand, and had to defend your program in court, under oath, it is hard to comprehend how important it is to have a program like Prime Service on your side. As you sit there considering this information, imagine how you would testify as to the diligence or lack of it, of your safety activities. If you "DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS STUFF", just consider how that attitude would play in court!!

  22. We don't need a "formal, documented" safety program. We have some safety rules - we hold safety meetings.

Ans:A fully documented safety program can help you keep control of your company assets and provide the employees with qualified information. Simply conducting some safety meetings does not qualify as OSHA qualified training. An OSHA inspector will ask your employees questions, and based on the answers the employees give, the inspector will determine whether or not you have an effective training program.

  23. All of my employees are family members.

Ans:If an individual draws a salary whether they are family or not they are subject to the OSHA Standards, the only exception may be the owner.

  24. All of my workers are leased/temp.

Ans:If an inspection of your facility uncovers a safety or health violation, and you are using leased/temp employees, then both you and the lease/temp company are can both be fined. Simply using temps does not relieve the site employer from providing a safe work place, where the employees are working under OSHA qualified conditions.