Regulatory Agency Inspections/Requests for
Information Procedure
In the event an individual who is identified as a representative
of a federal, state or local government regulatory agency appears in your department
for the purpose of conducting an inspection or other type of data collection
procedure, please follow the procedure described below.
University
Contact
·
Record
the person's name, government affiliation, stated purpose of the
visit (if provided) and arrival time.
(As a general rule, officials are required to identify themselves and
their affiliation and state the purpose of their visit.)
·
Give
no consent. Please remember that the
University is a private place of business and a regulatory official may be
required to have a warrant or the consent of the University before commencing
an inspection of University facilities.
For that reason, you may be requested to grant consent. (Example: An OSHA Compliance Officer
identifies him/herself and states, "I am here because we have received a
complaint of an unsafe working condition in the area. Is it okay if I go and see if that is
so?" Answer: "Please have a seat
and I will contact the appropriate University official." Remember, only authorized individuals may
give consent on behalf of the University.
You may inform the regulatory official that University policy requires
that you notify the Environmental Health Office or Safety Office and obtain
management authorization before allowing the official to proceed.)
·
Immediately
notify the Environmental Health Office (443-4132) or Safety Office
(443-5474) and provide the following: your name, department, location and phone
number; and Official's name, affiliation, stated purpose of the visit and time
of arrival. The Environmental Health
Office or Safety Office will provide an authorized University representative
who will meet the official.
·
While you are waiting for the authorized
University representative to meet the visiting official, be courteous, but ask
that he/she defer asking you questions relating to his/her inquiry until the
authorized University representative arrives.
If the University decides to let the inspection proceed, coordinate with
the designated University representative on how to address the inspector's
questions to assure accuracy and completeness.
·
If you are contacted by a
regulatory agency requesting information, please ask that individual to
set forth the request in writing and include the reason for the request and the
date when the response is required. Be
courteous to the official, but inform the caller that this is the procedure
that the University follows to track its responses to regulatory agencies.
After the
call, please contact the Environmental Health Office or the Safety Office and
be prepared to provide: your name,
department, location and phone number; and Official's name, affiliation, time of the call, stated request and reason for
the request (if provided in the call).
Contractor
Contact
Please inform all third-party contractors doing work under your
supervision that they must inform you immediately if they are contacted by a
regulatory official to access University property or to provide information
related to the contractor's work at the University. Third party contractors are
not authorized to grant consent for access to University-owned areas without
the University's prior written approval.
Please contact the Environmental Health Office or Safety Office if
you have questions about any of the procedures described in this memorandum.
Revised