An Oct. 5 webinar presented by the Alliance of Automotive Service Providers of New Jersey (AASP-NJ) and American Compliance provided members with a helpful tool to avoid fines and penalties resulting from OSHA inspections, the association said.

In the free one-hour webinar, members were warned about what OSHA has been looking for, and learned ways to prevent thousands of dollars in fines.

Recently, local body shops have seen a dramatic increase in OSHA inspections due to a National Emphasis Program that has been targeting auto body shops. Under the program, OSHA area offices are mandated to conduct inspections, often fining shops anywhere from $10,000 to $40,000.

“We’ve noticed many of our members being hit with pretty large fines,” AASP-NJ Executive Director Charlie Bryant said. “We partnered up with American Compliance to create this webinar to arm our members with as much preventative knowledge as we possibly can. If they know what OSHA is looking for, they can prepare in their shops accordingly.”

For many years, American Compliance has helped AASP-NJ members comply with OSHA requirements and fight OSHA penalties. In the webinar, attendees viewed citations that other shops have received, and learned what they can do to avoid fines going forward.

The webinar was at full capacity, and the association plans on having another webinar to educate more members on how to plan for future OSHA inspections.

To get the latest on the next OSHA webinar, and for more information, visit aaspnj.org.