OSHA delays electronic recordkeeping rule a second time

 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that it will delay its requirements for submitting employee injury and illness data electronically until Dec. 15. The original July 1 submission deadline for the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” had already been pushed back to Dec. 1 in a move, the administration said, that would allow employers more time to familiarize themselves with the digital portal.

Though the administration’s previous requirements stand until the new deadline, OSHA notes that it is reviewing other provisions in the rule for potential updates that could revise or remove certain portions of the guideline next year.

Dive Brief:

• As part of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” rule, certain employers in high-risk industries like construction, manufacturing and building materials must submit electronically their 2016 injury and illness data from OSHA Form 300A by Dec. 1.
• This applies to each employer establishment — not necessarily the entire company, but every single location where the company provides services or performs industrial operations — with at least 20 employees and no more than 249. These high-risk establishments must then submit their 2017 300A forms by July 1, 2018, and then annually by March 2 thereafter.
• Establishments in any industry and with 250 employees or more have the same 300A December reporting obligation but must submit OSHA Forms 300A, 300 and 301 for 2017 incidents by July 1, 2018, and then annually on March 2 starting in 2019.

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