OSHA requires employers with more than 10 employees to post the injury and illness summary (OSHA Form 300A) from February 1 to April 30, 2009. The summary must list the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2008 and were logged on the OSHA Form 300.
Employers must also include information about the annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year to help calculate incidence rates. If there were no injuries or illnesses in 2008, you must enter “zero” on the total line.
A company executive must sign the Form 300A and it should be displayed in a workplace common area where notices to employees are usually posted. Failure to post the annual summary could result in citations and penalties.
Though they are not generally required to file the records with OSHA, employers must document workplace injuries using Forms 300 and 300A and keep the forms at the worksite for a five-year period. Forms should be readily available to employees and OSHA inspectors.
Employers with 10 or fewer employees and some employers in certain industries are usually exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements. View the full list of exempt industries here on the OSHA Web site.
During Fiscal Year 2008, OSHA logged 87,687 violations of its standards and regulations for worker safety and health across the nation. More than 67,000 of those violations were cited as “serious,” according to an agency press release.
"Workplace inspections and issuing citations are a critical part of OSHA's balanced approach to improving workplace safety, but the real test of success is saving lives and preventing injuries, " said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler.
OSHA conducted close to 39,000 worksite inspections last year, exceeding the agency’s enforcement goal by 2.4 percent.
Based on preliminary data from 2007, the workplace fatality rate has declined 14 percent since 2001, according to Stohler. Since 2002, the workplace injury and illness rate has dropped 21 percent. Both statistics mark all-time lows.
Stohler pointed out that such success is due to OSHA’s strategic approach to enforcement. The agency achieved their goal by targeting the most hazardous workplaces while using education, training and cooperative programs to improve overall OSHA compliance.
For more information on OSHA recordkeeping requirements, take a look at these helpful articles from G.Neil’s HR Library: (All articles are free and require no registration.)
- Keep OSHA Forms Up to Date and Accurate
- New Year’s Resolution: A Safe and Healthful Workplace
- The Newer the Employee, the Harder the Fall - New Employees at Greater Risk for Injury
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1 comment:
Many people have been blasting OSHA recently for not doing a good job. But I believe they are working smarter now, focusing on the high hazaard employers and industries. At www.osha30hourtraining.com, you can learn more about the OSHA process for inspections, as well as how to comply with the OSHA standards for workplaces.
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