OSHA Issues Final Rule to "Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses"

Effective January 1, 2017, certain employers will be required to electronically submit to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) the injury and illness records they are currently required to keep under existing OSHA regulations.  

Starting with submission year 2017, establishments with 20-249 employees in certain industries must electronically submit OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). Affected industries include all chemical, plastics and rubber products, and machinery manufacturing. Establishments with 250 or more employees must also electronically submit OSHA Form 300A in 2017, but in 2018, they must additionally submit OSHA Forms 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report). The submission deadline is July 1 for 2017 and 2018; in 2019 it will be March 2.

OSHA is to remove any personally identifiable information (PII) before posting establishment-specific injury and illness data on the Agency’s public website. OSHA intends to use the data to guide allocation of its compliance assistance and enforcement resources, and states the new requirements will encourage increased efforts among employers to prevent injuries and illnesses in the workplace. Establishment-specific data made public may be used for benchmarking and other purposes.

The final rule was published May 12; OSHA State Plan states have six months from publication to adopt substantially identical requirements. OSHA’s webpage on the rule includes a fact sheet. SPI submitted comments on the proposed rule.

For more information, please contact Marie Gargas. Discussion of the final rule is on the agenda for the EHS+ Committee meeting on June 7-8. SPI members can register here.

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Founded in 1937, SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association promotes growth in the $427 billion U.S. plastics industry. Representing nearly one million American workers in the third largest U.S. manufacturing industry, SPI delivers legislative and regulatory advocacy, market research, industry promotion and the fostering of business relationships and zero waste strategies. SPI also owns and produces the international NPE trade show. All profits from NPE are reinvested into SPI’s industry services. Find SPI online at www.plasticsindustry.org and www.inthehopper.org.

"From resin suppliers and equipment makers to processors and brand owners, SPI is proud to represent all facets of the U.S. plastics industry," said William R. Carteaux, president and CEO, SPI. "Our most recent economic reports show that the plastics industry as a whole is resilient, and has come through the recession significantly better than other U.S. manufacturing sectors."