OSHA’s New Reporting Rules – Part 1: Electronic Reporting Requirements

August 5, 2016

OSHA’s New Reporting Rules – Part 1:  Electronic Reporting Requirements 

In May 2016, OSHA announced new reporting rules that would require certain employers to electronically report workplace accidents.  These rules will become effective as of January 1, 2017.  Although the rule does not change the information employers are required to assemble following an accident, it does alter the way in which the employer will handle and ultimately report the information to OSHA.  According to OSHA, its goal is to “make employers, the public, and the government better informed about workplace hazards.” 

The following is a brief summary of the new reporting rules:

• Employers with 20-249 employees in certain industries will be required to electronically submit OSHA form 300A.
• Employers with 250 or more employees that are required to keep OSHA injury and wellness records must electronically submit OSHA form 300A starting January 1, 2017, and beginning January 1, 2018 these employers must also electronically submit OSHA forms 300A and 301.

Also included in the new reporting rules are a number of protections aimed at protecting employees from potential retaliation for reporting workplace accidents, which may significantly impact how employers conduct post-accident drug testing.   For more information on this issue, see our legal update being sent later today, discussing the impact of OSHA’s new rules on post-accident drug testing.

For more information on the new electronic reporting rules, see the OSHA Fact Sheet at the following link:  https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3862.pdf

For a comprehensive list of industries governed by those rules applicable to employers with 20-249 employees, see the following link:  https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/NAICScodesforelectronicsubmission.pdf

This e-mail is not intended as a substitute for professional legal advice and its receipt does not constitute an attorney-client relationship.  If you have any questions about this information, please contact your attorney at Martin, Browne, Hull & Harper, P.L.L. at 937-324-5541.

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