Sunday, November 13, 2016

New OSHA Reporting Procedure

If your organization has 10 or more employees and doesn't appear on the list of exempt industries, you are subject to OSHA's reporting rules. This includes maintaining an OSHA 300 log as well as posting an OSHA 300A form in a common area each year from February 1 through April 30.

OSHA has introduced some new rules that go into effect on January 1, 2017. OSHA believes that making injury data public will "nudge" employers to focus on safety and they believe these changes will help them gather more accurate data. Here are some of the highlights:

- employers with 250 employees or more will be required to submit the information on their 2016 OSHA 300A form electronically by July 1, 2017.  This will expand to include their 300 and their 301 forms by July 1, 2018.  In 2019 the deadline will move up to March 2.

- employers with 20 to 249 employees and fall in the official list of hazardous industries must also submit their 2016 OSHA 300A form electronically by July 1, 2017. They will also submit only their OSHA 300A form electronically in future years - by July 1, 2018 and beginning March 2 in subsequent years.

The website portal through which employers will submit their data is scheduled to go live in February 2017. Employers will reportedly have the option of entering data directly into a web form, uploading data from a csv file, or transferring data through an API interface (for those employers who are already using an automated record keeping platform). 

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