You're paying $300–$2,000/year for Avetta. Your hiring clients require it. And every month your compliance score stays below their threshold is a month you can't bid on their work. For most contractors who get stuck in Avetta's review process, the bottleneck is the same thing: written safety programs that are either missing, generic, or don't match their actual work.
Here's how Avetta's review process actually works, where contractors fail, and how to fix it before your next review cycle.
How Avetta's Compliance Review Process Works
When you connect with a hiring client on Avetta, the platform generates a requirement matrix — a custom list of documentation, insurance, safety metrics, and written safety programs specific to your scope of work and your hiring client's standards. Every client can set different thresholds and requirements.
Your compliance score is built from multiple factors:
- Safety performance metrics: Your EMR (Experience Modification Rate), TRIR (Total Recordable Incident Rate), and DART rate are pulled from your OSHA 300 logs for the past 3 years. Each hiring client sets their own acceptable thresholds.
- Written safety programs: Uploaded and reviewed against your scope of work. This is where most rejections happen.
- Insurance documentation: COI with specific coverage limits, endorsements, and policy numbers matching what the hiring client requires.
- HSE questionnaire: Your answers to health, safety, and environmental questions — which must align with what your written programs actually say.
What triggers a Manual Audit: Avetta has two review levels. Standard reviews are automated or lightly reviewed. Manual Audits are triggered when a hiring client requires deeper scrutiny — common for high-risk work scopes, new contractor relationships, or when initial submissions raise red flags. During a Manual Audit, Avetta's team of qualified auditors does a deep dive into your safety program content, checking for specific elements, OSHA citations, and alignment with your declared scope. This is where generic templates get exposed.
The 4 Written Program Failures That Kill Your Score
1 Missing programs
Your requirement matrix lists 10–15 written programs. You uploaded 4. Every gap is a flag that drags your compliance score down. The most commonly missing programs: Confined Space Entry, Silica Exposure Control, Hearing Conservation, and trade-specific programs like LOTO or Arc Flash. Contractors often don't realize these apply to their scope until Avetta tells them.
2 Generic content that doesn't match your scope
Cascade QMS, a compliance consulting firm, puts it bluntly: "Avetta isn't just looking for 'something on paper' — they want to see written policies that match your actual work tasks."
What "generic" looks like to a reviewer: An electrical contractor whose Hazard Communication Program lists "paints, solvents, and adhesives" but doesn't mention contact cleaners, PVC cement, or the specific chemicals their crew actually uses. A roofer whose Fall Protection Program describes guardrails and safety nets but doesn't address steep-slope vs. low-slope methods. A GC whose LOTO program says "de-energize before working" but has no equipment-specific procedures. Each of these gets flagged — especially during a Manual Audit.
3 Missing OSHA citations
Your written programs need to reference the specific OSHA standards they're built on. Your Fall Protection Program should cite 29 CFR 1926 Subpart M. Your LOTO should reference 29 CFR 1910.147. Your HazCom should cite 29 CFR 1910.1200.
Avetta reviewers verify that the correct regulatory framework is present. A safety program written in plain English without regulatory references reads as informal guidance, not a compliance document. The difference between "wear fall protection above 6 feet" and "per 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1), fall protection is required for employees on walking/working surfaces with unprotected sides or edges 6 feet or more above a lower level" is the difference between passing and failing.
4 Programs aren't company-specific
Your programs need YOUR company name throughout — not just on the cover page. They need your Safety Manager named. Your emergency contacts listed. Your specific procedures described. Avetta reviewers are checking whether this document belongs to your company or whether it's a template you downloaded and forgot to customize.
The giveaway: "[Company Name]" placeholder text anywhere in the document. One instance = the entire program is flagged.
What Avetta Reviewers Actually Check
For each written safety program, reviewers look for:
Avetta Written Program Review Checklist
- Program exists and is complete — not a placeholder or partial draft
- Company name, Safety Manager, and responsible personnel named — throughout, not just the header
- Scope matches your declared work — electrical contractor programs mention electrical hazards, roofer programs mention fall protection for roof work
- OSHA standard citations (29 CFR) — correct and current, not outdated references
- Required program elements present: scope statement, hazard identification, procedures and controls, training requirements, roles and responsibilities, emergency procedures, review/update schedule
- HSE questionnaire alignment — your questionnaire answers match what your programs say. If you answered "yes, we have a confined space program" but didn't upload one, that's an automatic flag.
- Currency — programs reference current OSHA standards and show a recent review date. A program dated 2018 that references pre-2016 silica standards tells the reviewer it hasn't been updated.
Avetta vs. ISNetworld: Do You Need Different Programs?
Short answer: no.
Avetta
125K+ contractors. Reviews against OSHA standards (29 CFR 1926/1910) + hiring client requirements. Custom requirement matrix per client. Manual Audit for high-risk scopes.
ISNetworld
90K+ contractors. RAVS reviewers check against 29 CFR citations, scope alignment, and program completeness. Same underlying OSHA standards. Different upload portal, same documents.
Both platforms review written safety programs against the same underlying OSHA standards (29 CFR 1926 for construction, 29 CFR 1910 for general industry). The regulatory requirements don't change based on which platform is reviewing them.
If you generate a safety program through CrewCompliance that includes the correct 29 CFR citations, company-specific details, and trade-specific content, you can upload the same PDF to both ISNetworld and Avetta. The programs are identical — only the upload process and review rubric differ slightly between platforms.
If you're on both platforms — which many contractors are — this saves you from paying a consultant twice for the same documents. See our ISNetworld RAVS guide for dual-platform contractors →
Fix Your Avetta Programs — Fast
Safety consultants who specialize in Avetta compliance charge $500–$2,000 per written program. If you need 12 programs to cover your scope, that's $6,000–$24,000 for documents.
CrewCompliance generates complete, trade-specific written safety programs for $149. You answer 15 questions about your company, trade, and crew — and get a professional PDF with your company name on every page, the right OSHA citations, and sections structured as standalone programs ready to upload to Avetta. Takes 10 minutes.
Your second program: $99. Third and beyond: $49.
Stop letting missing programs hold up your Avetta compliance score.
Get Avetta-ready safety programs in 10 minutes — customized for your trade, complete with 29 CFR citations, structured for upload to Avetta and ISNetworld.
Start Now — $149FAQ
What written programs does Avetta require?
Avetta generates a custom requirement matrix based on your scope of work and your hiring client's standards. Common programs include: Hazard Communication, Fall Protection, PPE, Emergency Action Plan, Fire Prevention, LOTO, and trade-specific programs (Electrical Safety, Confined Space, Excavation). Log into your Avetta portal to see your exact list.
How long does Avetta's compliance review take?
Standard reviews typically take 1–3 weeks. Manual Audits — triggered by hiring client requirements or flagged submissions — can take longer. Submitting complete, trade-specific programs on the first upload is the fastest way to avoid resubmission delays.
Can I use the same safety programs for Avetta and ISNetworld?
Yes. Both platforms review against the same OSHA standards. A properly written safety program with 29 CFR citations, company-specific content, and trade-specific hazard coverage will satisfy both platforms. Upload the same documents to both.