Make sure that your facility is in compliance with OSHA recordkeeping rules. Are your incidents and accidents recorded?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s recordkeeping rules (Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illness, 29 CFR 1904) require employers to record and report work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Low hazard industries and employers with fewer than 10 employees are exempt from most requirements of this rule. However, all employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH ACT), even partially exempt employers mentioned above, are required to report to OSHA any workplace incident that results in a fatality or hospitalization of three or more employees.
If you are not an exempt employer, you must post OSHA’s Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) by February 1. This report must remain posted at your work site through April 30. Throughout the year, you need to complete incident reports, possibly using OSHA Form 301 and then summarize each incident on Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) to classify the incident and record specific details about it.
There is currently a proposed rule, Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, which would amend 29 CFR 1904.41 to add new electronic reporting requirements. If the proposed changes are promulgated, establishments with 20 or more employees in designated industries will be required to electronically submit the information from OSHA Form 300A to OSHA on an annual basis. There is a February 6, 2014 deadline to provide comments to the proposed rule.