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Federal OSHA Issues Final Rule for Electronic Filing of Injury & Illness Records

Date: September 5, 2016
Author: Fred J Mora, III
Posted by HRConsortium in: Workplace Safety and OSHA

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Effective January 1, 2017, certain employers will be required to submit records of workplace injuries and illnesses to OSHA electronically for posting on the OSHA website to "help keep workers safer and make employers, the public, and government better informed about workplace hazards."

According to OSHA, the final rule includes standards that encourage workers to report work-related injuries and illnesses to their employers and prohibit employers from retaliating against workers making such reports.

The electronic reporting requirements applies to (1) establishments with 250 or more employees who currently are required to keep OSHA records and (2) establishments with 20-249 employees classified in select industries including construction and manufacturing.

Employer must inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries free from retaliation. In addition, the procedure for reporting work-related injuries must be reasonable and not discourage employees from reporting.

How does this impact employers in California? States, such as California, which operate their own safety and health programs, must adopt requirements which are substantially identical to the requirements in this rule within six months after publication. Cal-OSHA has not issued any statements indicating it will use the federal reporting system or develop its own system.

https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/

https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/finalrule/finalrule_faq.html

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