By R. Bruce Wright, CPCU
OSHA has made a major overhaul of the requirements for the recording and reporting of work-related injuries. These changes are effective this New Year’s Day, January 1, 2002.
If you are not already aware of these changes, I hope this article serves as a valuable notice. And, even if you were aware of the new requirements, you might wish to check with those in your organization who handle the OSHA record keeping to be certain they are familiar with the new requirements.
The changes from the old requirements are rather significant. For starters, there are entirely new forms - the OSHA 300 log of injuries and illnesses, the OSHA 300A that is the new summary and posting notice, and OSHA 301 injury and illness incident report. The OSHA 301 can be eliminated if you have workers’ compensation or employer’s first notice of injury report forms on file for each incident and those forms contain all the information normally required on the OSHA 301. In fact, all three forms are optional if you have appropriate alternatives. You should read the OSHA releases to find out what your options are.
Some other changes affect how and where you may keep the records (the new rules allow you keep them at one central office as long as they can be delivered or transmitted to other locations within a specified time - see the regulations). Others affect the content and duration of the year-end posting requirements. There is even a new requirement that certain information be available for employees to review at their request during the year. You can review a summary of all the significant changes on the OSHA Web site at:
You can also see a side-by-side comparison of the new vs. old rules by going to:
OSHA created an entire section to their Web site devoted to the new record keeping rules where you can find links that enable you to order brochures, view the text of the regulations, obtain copies of the new forms and see a FAQ section, as well as other links. This OSHA Web site can be accessed at:
This last link is the most comprehensive. The person or people who handle your company’s OSHA record keeping should visit this site to get everything they need to comply with the new rules. Remember, these changes are effective 1/1/02.