If you’re a health and safety professional responsible for reporting your company’s injury and illness records to OSHA, you can be forgiven for being a bit confused. After all, the rules have seemed to be changing faster than the autumn leaves.

In May 2016, OSHA added another layer of complexity when it published the final rule, titled Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses. Also referred to as the Electronic Recordkeeping Rule, it required certain establishments to annually submit injury and illness data to OSHA through an online portal. This data would be posted to a public website with the intent of “shaming” employers into an increased focus on workplace safety. Despite objections, the rule’s implementation proceeded, though not without delays and modifications.

Then, a proposed rule published in July 2018 aimed to simplify the requirements and limit the scope of the rule, but its core remains intact. Significant … Read more...