On Wednesday, May 11, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its final rule to expand electronic recordkeeping requirements for workplace injury and illness data. The new rule, effective Jan. 1, 2017, requires all manufacturers, including foundries, to electronically submit to OSHA their injury and illness data on an annual basis. The final regulation, known as the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, is available in pre-Federal Register format here. OSHA believes the number of workers injured or made ill on the job remains unacceptably high. The agency states that the final electronic recordkeeping rule will allow the agency to more effectively target its enforcement resources to establishments with high rates or numbers of workplaces injuries and illnesses, and better evaluate its interventions.
Under the final rule:
The original rule OSHA proposed back in November 2013, on which AFS filed comments, would have required most employers with over 250 employees to electronically report injury and illness recordkeeping data to OSHA on a quarterly basis.
In addition, the final rule requires employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses free from retaliation; clarifies the existing implicit requirement that an employer’s procedure for reporting work-related injuries and illnesses must be reasonable and not deter or discourage employees from reporting; and incorporates the existing statutory prohibition on retaliating against employees for reporting work-related injuries or illnesses. According to the OSHA Administrator, Dr. Michaels, the agency is expected to issue a compliance document later this year on safety incentive programs.
AFS will host a webinar in June to provide a detailed overview of this latest recordkeeping rule.
The American Foundry Society is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1896. With its headquarters in Schaumburg, Ill., AFS provides members and consumers with information and services to promote and strengthen the metalcasting industry.