OSHA Renews NEP on Preventing Amputations
On June 26, 2025, OSHA announced the renewal of its National Emphasis Program (NEP) aimed at reducing amputations in the manufacturing sector. The updated program took effect on June 27, 2025, and is scheduled to remain in place until June 27, 2030.OSHA’s enforcement data shows that employees working on or around machinery or equipment frequently suffer injuries due to missing or inadequate machine guards or the failure to implement and follow proper hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) procedures. The NEP was introduced to address these hazards during inspections within the manufacturing industry.
NEP Highlights
Under the renewed program, OSHA will conduct inspections of manufacturing facilities to ensure compliance with safety practices while operating, servicing or maintaining machines. This includes ensuring hazardous energy sources are controlled and that machines are properly guarded to prevent amputations. The renewed program’s changes include:
- Providing that any establishment that had an inspection initiated under the NEP in the previous 24 months, with no reported amputations within those 24 months, may be removed from the programmed inspection list
- Providing that unprogrammed inspections may be expanded to an Amputations NEP inspection only if the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is listed in Appendix B of the NEP
- Providing that any establishment that has 10 or fewer employees and that has its primary NAICS code listed on the Low-hazard Industry Table of the Appropriations Act Directive should not be inspected under the NEP
- Revising the OSHA Information Systems coding instructions in Section XII for all OSHA amputation inspections
- Revising the industry targeting methodology in Appendix A: Amputations Targeting Methodology
- Updating Appendix B: Covered NAICS Codes to reflect the revisions to Appendix A and data from 2019-23
Next Steps for Employers
Manufacturing employers with machinery and equipment that pose amputation hazards should carefully review the NEP to understand its inspection criteria and ensure compliance with all applicable OSHA health and safety standards. They should also make sure lockout/tagout procedures are up-to-date and followed, proper machine guarding is in place and employees are regularly trained on amputation prevention.
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Article Published By: Zywave, Inc.
