From Tire Review
OSHA has issued a final rule to modernize injury data collection to better inform workers, employers, the public and OSHA about workplace hazards.
There are more than three million workers who suffer workplace injury or illness annually, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. Currently, little or no information about worker injuries and illnesses at individual employers is made public or available to OSHA. Under the new rule, employers in high-hazard industries will send OSHA injuries for posting on the agency’s website.
The availability of this data will allow prospective employees to find workplaces where their risk of injury is lowest, and urge businesses to make preventing injury a higher priority, OSHA said.
“Since high injury rates are a sign of poor management, no employer wants to be seen publicly as operating a dangerous workplace,” said Sr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. “Our new reporting requirements will ‘nudge’ employers to prevent worker injuries and illnesses to demonstrate to investors, job seekers, customers and the public that they operate safe and well-managed facilities. Access to injury data will also help OSHA better target our compliance assistance and enforcement resources at establishments where workers are at greatest risk, and enable ‘big data’ researchers to apply their skills to making workplaces safer.”
The new requirements take effect August 10, 2016, with phased in data submissions beginning in 2017. These requirements do not add to or change an employer’s obligation to complete and retain injury and illness records under the Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses regulation, OSHA said.
