OSHA has been busy this spring, issuing a number of final rules that employers must work to implement. One such rule relates to injury reporting.

On May 11, 2016, the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) issued a “Final Rule to Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses.” The new rule, which takes effect August 10, 2016, is an effort to update data collection on injuries. Employers will be required to submit records electronically. Collected injury and illness data will be made available online to the public on OSHA’s website (after any personally identifiable information is removed).

"Since high injury rates are a sign of poor management, no employer wants to be seen publicly as operating a dangerous workplace," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. "Our new reporting requirements will 'nudge' employers to prevent worker injuries and illnesses to demonstrate to investors, job seekers, customers and the public that they operate safe and well-managed facilities. Access to injury data will also help OSHA better target our compliance assistance and enforcement resources at establishments where workers are at greatest risk, and enable 'big data' researchers to apply their skills to making workplaces safer."

The new reporting requirements will be phased in over two years:

Establishments with 250 or more employees in industries covered by the recordkeeping regulation must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017. These same employers will be required to submit information from all 2017 forms (300A, 300, and 301) by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.

Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries* must submit information from their 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017, and their 2017 Form 300A by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, the information must be submitted by March 2.

*Most landscape-related businesses fall into this category.

NOTE: Establishments in companies with 10 or fewer employees at all times in the previous year continue to be exempt from keeping OSHA records, regardless of their industry classification.  The partial exemption for size is based on the number of employees in the entire company.