PERRP: Ohio’s Public‑Sector Safety Enforcement System

What PERRP Is

PERRP — the Public Employment Risk Reduction Program — is Ohio’s legally mandated workplace safety and health enforcement system for state and local government employers. It exists because Federal OSHA has no jurisdiction over public‑sector workers in states that do not operate an OSHA‑approved State Plan.

Ohio chose not to run a State Plan.

Instead, the state created PERRP under Ohio Revised Code 4167 to ensure public employees still receive OSHA‑aligned workplace protections.

PERRP is administered by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) and enforces safety requirements that closely mirror Federal OSHA standards. This includes inspections, citations, required abatement, and follow‑up enforcement for public‑sector workplaces across the state.

What PERRP Enforces

PERRP enforces OSHA‑aligned requirements for:

• Electrical safety

• Lockout/Tagout

• Machine guarding

• Hazard communication

• PPE assessments

• Confined space

• Fall protection

• Required maintenance and inspection procedures

• Recordkeeping and injury reporting

If OSHA requires it, PERRP expects it — even though the enforcement model is different.

How PERRP Enforces Compliance

PERRP uses the same inspection and citation structure as OSHA, with one major difference:

PERRP does not issue monetary fines.

Instead, PERRP issues:

• Citations

• Required corrective action

• Legally binding abatement deadlines

• Follow‑up inspections

• Potential referral to the Attorney General for non‑compliance

For public employers, this enforcement model is still serious.

A citation becomes a matter of public record and can trigger:

• budget scrutiny

• insurance implications

• labor‑management issues

• repeat‑violation exposure

• increased oversight

Because Ohio chose not to adopt a State Plan, it built PERRP as a stand‑alone public‑sector enforcement system, making it the only program of its kind in the country.

PERRP enforces OSHA‑aligned standards — even without fines.

If OSHA requires it, PERRP expects it.

Lack of fines does not mean lack of enforcement.

Maintenance is compliance.

If equipment isn’t maintained, inspected, or documented, PERRP treats it as maintenance not performed — a citable condition.

Citations become public record.

Even without monetary penalties, citations can affect:

• budgets

• leadership decisions

• insurance programs

• labor relations

• public trust

Repeat violations carry weight.

PERRP tracks repeat hazards the same way OSHA does.

A repeat citation signals a systemic failure, not a one‑off oversight.

Why This Matters for Facility Managers

Most public‑sector facility managers in Ohio don’t realize they operate under a different enforcement model than private employers or public employers in State‑Plan states. That misunderstanding leads to:

• missed maintenance requirements

• undocumented inspections

• outdated safety procedures

• exposure to repeat citations

• preventable hazards that stay uncorrected