OSHA issued the new, final rule designed to modernize injury data collection to better inform workers, employers, the public and OSHA about workplace hazards earlier this month. The new rules kick in August 10, 2016, with phased in data submissions starting in 2017.
According to NATE, under the new rule, employers in high hazard industries will send OSHA injury and illness data that the employers are already required to collect, for posting on the agency’s website. All establishments with 250 or more employees in industries covered by the recordkeeping regulation must electronically submit to OSHA injury and illness information from OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301. Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain industries must electronically submit information from OSHA Form 300A only.
“It is important that NATE member companies and wireless infrastructure providers understand the new OSHA reporting requirements that will impact their operations,” stated Executive Director Todd Schlekeway. “NATE encourages our member companies and all industry stakeholders to immediately review the provisions contained in this final rule in order to ensure compliance with the new requirements.”
To ensure that the injury data on OSHA logs are accurate and complete, the final rule also 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 plans to use the newly collected data to establish the largest publicly available data set on work injuries and illnesses, enabling researchers to better study injury causation, identify new workplace safety hazards before they become widespread and evaluate the effectiveness of injury and illness prevention activities. OSHA will remove all personally identifiable information associated with the data before it is publicly accessible.
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