As we have covered in a prior post, the electronic recordkeeping deadline was moved from July 1, 2017, to Dec. 1, 2017, after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) filed a notice of proposed rulemaking. After the two-week debacle in August, where OSHA was forced to take down its own electronic portal for submission of OSHA records due to a potential compromise of user information, the final rule postponed the deadline for two more weeks until Dec. 15, 2017. OSHA states that this is to provide a full four-month time period for employers to become familiar with the electronic system.
Meanwhile, OSHA has also indicated they plan to announce changes to other portions of the electronic recordkeeping rule, including the controversial non-discrimination rules, which implicate post-accident drug testing and safety incentive programs.
More changes are on the horizon, so employers may want to delay their filing to see what new developments are announced in the next couple of weeks.