The U.S. Department of Labor has extended its focus on reducing serious workplace injuries in manufacturing, renewing a five-year national inspection program aimed at preventing amputations.
Under the updated National Emphasis Program (NEP), inspectors from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will continue targeting manufacturers whose machinery presents high amputation risks. The inspections will assess whether companies are complying with safety protocols when operating, servicing, or maintaining equipment, including verifying the control of hazardous energy and ensuring proper machine guarding.
The revised program includes several changes: an updated list of manufacturing sectors using the North American Industry Classification System, adjustments to inspection tracking systems, and new criteria allowing certain low-risk sites to be excluded from routine inspections.
Facilities that underwent an NEP inspection in the past 24 months and did not report an amputation can now be removed from the program’s inspection list, according to the agency.
The previous NEP, in place since 2019, is scheduled to expire on June 27, 2025. The new version will take effect immediately and remain active for another five years.
