A yet-to-be-implemented part of OSHA’s recent revisions on reporting workplace injuries may not go into effect at all.
Under the rule, Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, OSHA had planned to post information on its website from these electronic submissions by employers:
- Forms 300, 300A and 301 from all establishments with 250 of more employees in industries covered by OSHA’s previous recordkeeping regulation, and
- Form 300A from establishments with 20-249 employees in certain industries.
While the information on sending these forms to OSHA electronically is still on the agency’s website, a comparison of the current OSHA website and its previous form shows the new administration has removed key sections that justified the public reporting of the data.
Among the parts removed from the website:
- “OSHA will post the data on osha.gov. Interested parties will be able to search and download the data. OSHA believes that posting timely, establishment-specific injury and illness data will provide valuable information to employers, employees, employee representatives, and researchers.”
- “OSHA believes that public disclosure of the data will ‘nudge’ employers to improve workplace safety (without an OSHA inspection) in order to demonstrate to investors, job seekers, customers, and the broader public that their workplaces provide safe and healthy work environments for their employees.”
(The removed section was under, “Why is OSHA collecting the data, and how will it be used?” on a page containing Frequently Asked Question about the rule.)
On the other hand, this part remains: “Electronic submission of establishment-specific injury and illness data will enable OSHA to use its enforcement and compliance assistance resources more efficiently. Analysis of the data will improve OSHA’s ability to identify, target, and remove safety and health hazards, thereby preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths.”
Note: The electronic reporting part of the rule still appears to be in place, at least for now. Reporting requirements will be phased in over two years:
- Establishments with 250 or more employees must begin submitting information from Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and must submit information from all forms (300A, 300, and 301) by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.
- Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries must begin submitting information from Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and again by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.