OSHA Form 300A posting deadline February 1, 2018
This month, all employers required to keep Form 300, the Injury and Illness Log, should be reviewing the Log to verify that entries are complete and accurate and correcting any deficiencies. The annual summary of injuries and illnesses recorded on OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, must be posted where notices are customarily located, no later than February 1, 2018 and kept in place until April 30. Even if there were no recordable incidents in 2017, companies required to maintain records still must post the summary with zeros on the total lines. Copies should be made available to any employee who might not see the summary (such as a remote employee who works from home).
When an accident occurs, an employer must document a recordable injury or illness on the OSHA Form 300 log within seven days. Employers should pay careful attention to their logs and the work relatedness of safety incidents, particularly in light of the electronic submission rule. Some employers tend to focus on medical treatment or days away from work, rather than beginning with – was this work related? The OSHA Regulation 29 C.F.R. §1904.7 contains an in-depth overview of recordable injuries and illnesses. Additional information on determining medical treatment and first aid can be located at 29 C.F.R. §1904.7(b)(5).
Standard interpretations on recordkeeping issued in 2017 include:
- Determining if the employees experienced an injury or illness due to an exposure.[1904; 1904.7(b)(7); 1904.46]
- Clarification of 1904.31 regarding who is responsible for recording injuries and illnesses when supervision is shared by a prime contractor and subcontractors. [1904.31]
A Form 300 log is required for each physical establishment location that is expected to be in operation for at least one year. Form 300A summarizes the total number of fatalities, missed workdays, job transfers or restrictions, and injuries and illnesses as recorded on Form 300. A company executive, as defined by OSHA, must certify the summary. Employers must keep the records for five years following the calendar year covered by them, and if the employer sells the business, he or she must transfer the records to the new owner.
While the future of the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses is uncertain, the Injury Tracking Application (ITA) stopped accepting 2016 data as of January 1, 2018. Employers with 250 or more employees that are subject to OSHA’s recordkeeping regulation must electronically submit information from the Form 300, Form 300A, and the Form 301 to OSHA by July 1, 2018. Establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-risk industries such as agriculture, forestry, construction and manufacturing, must submit information electronically from Form 300A by July 1, 2018. OSHA then would make the information public on its website.
List of top ten violations includes Fall Protection – Training Requirements for first time
While the list of the Top 10 violations for FY2017 remains largely unchanged from 2016, there is a newcomer in ninth place – Fall Protection – Training Requirements.
The full list:
- Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501) – 6,887
- Hazard Communication (1910.1200) – 4,652
- Scaffolding (1926.451) – 3,697
- Respiratory Protection (1910.134) – 3,381
- Lockout/Tagout (1910.147) – 3,131
- Ladders (1926.1053) – 2,567
- Powered Industrial Trucks (1910.178) – 2,349
- Machine Guarding (1910.212) – 2,109
- Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) – 1,724
- Electrical – Wiring Methods (1910.305) – 1,530
For more information, the National Safety Council (NSC) provides a detailed description of the specific violations and a summary of the largest penalties.
If you are looking for a way to simply your injury and work comp claims reporting, please feel free to check out our free integrated first report of injury and OSHA recordkeeping software at http://www.stopbeingfrustrated.com/osha-logs.html.
For Cutting-Edge Strategies on Managing Risks and Slashing Insurance Costs visit www.StopBeingFrustrated.com
1 Comment