The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a revised rule in late January to improve the system employers use to track workplace injuries and illnesses. OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements were designed to help employers recognize workplace hazards and by keeping track of work-related injuries and their causes. The revised rule will produce better information about occupational injuries and illnesses while simplifying the overall recordkeeping system for employers. The rule will also better protect employees’ privacy.
The revised rule includes a provision for recording needlestick and sharps injuries that is consistent with recently passed legislation requiring OSHA to revise its bloodborne pathogens standard to address such injuries. This provision is expected to result in a significant increase in recordable cases annually.
The recordkeeping rule also conforms with OSHA’s ergonomics standard published last November. It simplifies the manner in which employers record musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), replacing a cumbersome system in which MSDs were recorded using criteria different from those for other injuries or illnesses. The revised forms have a separate column for recording MSDs, which will improve the compilation of national data on these disorders.
One of the least understood concepts of recordkeeping has been restricted work; the new rule clarifies the definition of restricted work or light duty and makes it easier to record those cases. Work-related injuries are also better defined to ensure the recording only of appropriate cases while excluding cases clearly unrelated to work.
Privacy concerns of employees have also been addressed; the former rule had no privacy protections covering the log used to record work-related injuries and illnesses.
The regulation for the first time uses checklists and flowcharts to provide easier interpretations of recordkeeping requirements. Finally, employers are given more flexibility in using computers and telecommunications technology to meet their recordkeeping requirements.
For detailed information on the final recordkeeping rule, view OSHA’s web site.
Related Stories: New OSHA rules stir fierce controversy, and one industry group is petitioning its legality in court
