OSHA has issued its final, revised recordkeeping rule, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2017, and requires certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness data that they are already required to record on their onsite OSHA Injury and Illness forms.  OSHA also will now make injury and illness data publicly available and searchable on its website.

“Our new rule will ‘nudge’ employers to prevent work injuries to show investors, job seekers, customers and the public they operate safe and well-managed facilities. Access to injury data will also help OSHA better target compliance assistance and enforcement resources, and enable ‘big data’ researchers to apply their skills to making workplaces safer.”
Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health

According to OSHA, the final rule “promotes an employee’s right to report injuries and illnesses without fear of retaliation, and clarifies that an employer must have a reasonable procedure for reporting work-related injuries that does not discourage employees from reporting.”

OSHA has released a Fact Sheet outlining the new requirements and has established a website providing additional information.

Compliance schedule

The new reporting requirements will be phased in over two years:

• Establishments with 250 or more employees in industries covered by the recordkeeping regulation must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017. These same employers will be required to submit information from all 2017 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 submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and their 2017 Form 300A by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.

OSHA State Plan states must adopt requirements that are substantially identical to the requirements in this final rule within 6 months after publication of this final rule.