By: Ben Simmons, Account Executive
301-681-9645 x. 219
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued a new rule that will require certain employers to electronically submit their company’s onsite injury and illness data. The new rule became effective January 1, 2017 and will affect the following two groups:
- Companies with 250 or more employees
- Establishments with 20-249 employees in specified high-risk industries. These industries include construction, manufacturing, waste collection, and agriculture.
While electronic submission is not available at this time, it will be in the near future. See below for more details.
Rationale: Public Shaming Leads to Greater Accountability
The rationale behind this rule is that employers will pay more attention to workplace safety if their company’s workplace injury and illness data is made publicly available. Repeat offenses, injuries, or violations will now have the potential to go viral online and this opens up affected employers to public scrutiny and accountability. OSHA is also hoping that this information will be a valuable resource for job seekers, current employees, prospects, researchers, and the general public.
Companies will have three different options for submitting their data and uploading it to a secure website portal. Once the data is uploaded, OSHA will analyze the data and select certain components to publicly release on their website. The three options available to employers are:
- Enter the data manually into an online form
- Upload a CSV file
- Transmit data electronically via an API (application programming interface)
Submission Deadlines
Employers will be required to submit their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and their 2017 Form 300A by July 1, 2018. The submission date will change to March 2 starting in 2019. It is important for all affected organizations to keep track of any onsite illnesses and injuries on OSHA’s Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300) from this point on if they haven’t already started. This will simplify the electronic input process and help to ensure compliance.
**UPDATE** OSHA announced in May 2017 the submission deadline has been delayed. Please visit their site for current information on effective date requirements by clicking here OSHA RECORDKEEPING or here OSHA FINAL RULE
It is also advisable to review your organization’s current safety controls and compare them to OSHA’s rules and regulations. This can help prevent any confusion and issues in the future.
While this rule only affects certain employers there is the potential that this could evolve into a new rule that requires all companies, regardless of size or industry, to submit workplace injuries electronically.
Resources
- Links to OSHA’s Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Forms are available online along with instructions.
- For additional updates regarding Recordkeeping requirements visit OSHA’s webpage.
If you have any questions about the new rule, submission requirements, or how this could affect your business please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Contact us