Retailers may recall our story about a new deadline for medium- to large-sized employers to start reporting OSHA injury and illness data electronically.
The deadline has been extended yet again – to Dec. 15 – for employers to report such data.
Employers are being told they must take the information they already fill out regarding worker accidents and also file it electronically. Many Michigan employers will fall under this rule.
OSHA says these businesses fall under the new guideline:
Establishments with 250 or more employees that are subject to OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation must electronically submit to OSHA some of the information from the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300), the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300A), and the Injury and Illness Incident Report (OSHA Form 301).
Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries must electronically submit to OSHA some of the information from the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (OSHA Form 300A).
Establishments with fewer than 20 employees “at all times during the year” do not have to routinely submit information electronically to OSHA.
Electronic filing does NOT replace the requirement to also keep paper copies on file.
Here are a couple helpful links about the electronic filing requirement; copy and paste in your browser:
• See if your industry is affected: (click on the question “Who must submit information electronically to OSHA under the final rule?” It provides the above description but also a link to the high-risk industries)
• More information on the OSHA ruling
If you’re still unsure, contact OSHA at 800-321-6742, or MIOSHA at 517-284-7788 for record-keeping questions.
Here is the press release from OSHA:
To allow affected employers additional time to become familiar with a new electronic reporting system launched on August 1, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has extended the date by which employers must electronically report injury and illness data through the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) to December 15, 2017.
OSHA’s final rule to Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses sets December 15, 2017, as the date for compliance (a two-week extension from the December 1, 2017, compliance date in the proposed rule). The rule requires certain employers to electronically submit injury and illness information they are already required to keep under existing OSHA regulations.
Unless an employer is under federal jurisdiction, the following OSHA-approved State Plans have not yet adopted the requirement to submit injury and illness reports electronically: California, Maryland, Minnesota, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Establishments in these states are not currently required to submit their summary data through the ITA. Similarly, state and local government establishments in Illinois, Maine, New Jersey, and New York are not currently required to submit their data through the ITA.
OSHA is currently reviewing the other provisions of its final rule to Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, and intends to publish a notice of proposed rulemaking to reconsider, revise, or remove portions of that rule in 2018.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
