A Day in the Life of a Compliance Officer Published May 5, 2014 By SSGT ANTHONY MCKEE 932 AW/SE Summer 2014 -- A day in the life of a Compliance Officer can be hectic. At a moment's notice, you may open an inspection on a fatality or go on an imminent danger call. You may be conducting an opening conference with a company owner, CEO, jobsite foreman, manager, or even a Wing Commander. You never know what type of situation you'll be in from day to day. I recall the time I responded to an imminent danger call about an employee working in an 8- to 10-foot deep excavation with unprotected sides and sandy soil conditions. As it turns out, the complaint was on the same company at the same location where I had opened an inspection the week prior. On a typical complaint, I receive basic information: company name, location, safety or health concerns raised, and the number of employees exposed to the alleged hazard. I then search for the company's history with OSHA. In this situation, I knew about the company and its history; the company was installing a storm water sewer along a highway. As I arrived on-site, an operator and two laborers were working. I had to park at the top of a hill and walk a few hundred feet to the site wearing my OSHA vest and hardhat, so they saw me coming. As I started down the hill, I saw one employee working in the excavation. Halfway down the hill, the operator saw me and started yelling at the employee in the excavation to "Get out! OSHA's coming!" By the time I got to the crew, all work had ceased. Part of my job is documenting the conditions of the jobsite and conducting interviews with the crew. During my interview with the employee that had been working in the excavation, he revealed that the superintendent, who had just left, saw me pull up and called to alert the foreman. That explained why the worker got out of the excavation as I came down the hill. The worker also expressed concern about the working conditions, saying there were poor soil conditions and some of the sides had sloughed off while he was in the excavation. I thought to myself, This is how people get killed. I asked why he chose to work in those conditions; he said he was afraid he would lose his job if he said anything. I understood his being worried about losing the job, but he could have been crushed if the sides had sloughed off on him. This was a close call with the potential of being worse. The company ended up getting a trench box and finishing the job safely. As safety professionals, we never know what we will be doing from day to day--and our job is thankless. But by being out there and correcting unsafe acts and conditions, we are making a difference.