BlogLine

OSHA Suspends Electronic Submission of Illness and Injury Data – For Now

6/2/17

By: Amy C. Bender

OSHA has walked back on some of the heightened employer obligations included in the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” Final Rule it published last year. As we previously reported here, among other controversial measures aimed at promoting “complete and accurate reporting of work-related injuries and illnesses,” this new Rule required employers, beginning July 1, 2017, to electronically submit to OSHA the employee injury and illness data they already are required to record, which OSHA intended to publish on its website. However, OSHA now has announced on its website – albeit with much less fanfare than it touted the Final Rule – that it “is not accepting electronic submissions at this time, and intends to propose extending the July 1, 2017 date by which certain employers are required to submit the information from their completed 2016 Form 300A electronically.” It remains to be seen when (or if) OSHA will enforce the electronic data submission requirement. For now, covered employers still must record incidents of workplace injuries and illnesses on OSHA Injury and Illness forms and maintain those forms onsite.

For any questions, please contact Amy Bender at abender@fmglaw.com.