Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region 6—the region covering Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico—recently announced a new local emphasis program. Local emphasis programs (LEPs) are enforcement strategies designed and implemented by regional offices to target hazards or industries that pose a particular risk to workers in the office’s jurisdiction. LEPs programs operate on the carrot and stick approach. The “carrot” is OSHA’s offer of special outreach and educational opportunities through its local and regional OSHA offices. The “stick” is a round of programmed inspections, where agents randomly choose employers within the covered industry for surprise inspections. More.