OSHA, Ford Motor Company, and the United Auto Workers have agreed to an 11-point set of guidelines to provide shorter inspections and diminish the chances of wall-to-wall inspections in 25 Ford facilities nationwide.

Each Ford location will conduct an annual meeting with the local OSHA area director. OSHA officials will be briefed by the plant manager, union chairman, and facility leadership team on injury and illness reports and results of internal safety and health inspections. OSHA officials will have access to Ford safety and health data and will be allowed to conduct informal walk-throughs and interview workers.

Under the agreement, Ford plants selected for general schedule inspections as part of OSHA’s targeting program will receive focused inspections instead. These shorter inspections will focus on hazards addressed in the guidelines, including confined spaces, lockout-tagout, ergonomics, noise control, heat stress, machine guarding, and personal protective equipment.

OSHA inspections relating to employee complaints, serious injuries or fatalities are not covered by the agreement.