Electronic OSHA Injury Tracking
Posted on:
OSHA is making sweeping administration-wide changes to reduce the amount of paperwork that firms need to process in order to file certain required documents. The changes will also make records easier to store and access by eliminating the need to maintain paper copies.
Injury and illness record reporting became electronic-only effective on January 1, 2017. The new reporting requirements will be phased in over a period of two years.
In 2017, all covered establishments were to submit information from their completed 2016 Form 300A by July 1, 2017. OSHA is currently in the process of working to extend the 2017 deadline to December to give firms more time to learn the new system. Firms will notified if and when a new deadline is put into place.
In 2018, covered establishments with 250 or more employees must submit information from all completed 2017 forms (300A, 300, and 301) by July 1, 2018, and covered establishments with 20-249 employees must submit information from their completed 2017 Form 300A by July 1, 2018. Beginning in 2019 and every year thereafter, covered establishments must submit the information by March 2.
No special hardware or software will be required to report data. OSHA will provide a secure website that offers three options for data submission. First, users will be able to manually enter data into a web form. Second, users will be able to upload a CSV (comma separated value) file (a computer industry standard used in handling and organizing electronically stored contact information) to process single or multiple establishments at the same time. Last, users of automated record-keeping systems will have the ability to transmit data electronically via an API (application programming interface). OSHA will also provide status updates and related information as it becomes available. Updates and information will be presented to establishments via the API.
OSHA has designed the reporting system so only a limited amount of time needs to be spent initially creating an account and entering in required information.
For establishments with 20-249 employees that are required to report, OSHA estimates that it will take a typical employer about 10 minutes to create an account and another 10 minutes to enter the required information from the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300A).
For establishments with 250 or more employees, OSHA estimates that it will take a typical employer about 10 minutes to create an account, 10 minutes to enter the required information from the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Form 300A), and 12 minutes to enter the required information for each injury or illness recorded on their Log and Injury and Illness Incident Report forms (Forms 300 and 301).
It is important to note that establishments are required to submit the information electronically and may not submit the information on paper as they did previously. Employers who do not have the necessary equipment or internet connection may submit their data from a public facility, such as a library. OSHA also intends to provide an interface for entering data from a mobile device in the near future so data can be reported directly from job sites and other convenient locations where a full computer system is unavailable.
Helpful Resources:
- For more information on the proper use of the system’s CSV requirement, see the following .PDF file: www.osha.govinjuryreportingosha_ita_csv_documentation_v1.pdf
- The following OSHA website will be updated as needed and features technical system data, regulations, dates and deadlines, and an FAQ section that answers a number of common questions and concerns: www.osha.gov/injuryreporting/
- Electronic OSHA Injury Tracking - September 21, 2017
- OSHA 30 Subpart F Fire Protection and Prevention - August 15, 2017
- OSHA 30: Subpart E Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment - July 24, 2017
Posted In: Safety
