The new directive, which went into effect in September 2009, establishes enforcement procedures to inspect the accuracy of the Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements for low rate establishments in high-rate industries.
Recent academic studies assert varying degrees of under-recording of workplace injuries and illnesses on the OSHA Form 300. At the request of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the House Committee on Education and Labor, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) initiated a study on the accuracy of employer injury and illness records. In an effort to identify and correct under-recorded and incorrectly recorded cases and to work cooperatively with the GAO, OSHA initiated the National Emphasis Program (NEP), which also complements the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ efforts to investigate factors accounting for differences in the number
of workplace injuries and illnesses estimated by the BLS and other data sources.
OSHA believes the most likely places where under-recorded injuries and illnesses may exist are low rate establishments operating in historically high rate industries.
The construction industry is one of the prime targets of this new NEP focus.
Construction companies and employers are required to maintain the OSHA 300 form and complete and post the OSHA 300A summary form each year. OSHA asserts that accurate and honest record keeping is vitally important to workers health and safety; in addition, it’s an important tool employers can use to identify necessary health and safety improvements in their workplaces. When records are inaccurate or not properly completed, employers can only guess at the effectiveness of company safety programs and what, if any, additional measures need to be taken to maintain optimum safety and health of their workers.
JB Safety & Rescue Services can help train employers to maintain accurate reporting records and reduce the probability of OSHA fines through the new NEP. In a class designed specifically for this purpose, instructor Jeff Beeler will demonstrate how to properly complete and maintain an OSHA 300 Log and address:
- Exactly what injuries are recordable
- Not all restricted work activity injuries are recordable
- How to prevent certain injuries from becoming recordable
- Properly calculate the number of hours worked
- How to calculate OSHA incident rates
- Compare your rates to industry benchmarks
The next OSHA record keeping class, “2010 OSHA 300 Log Requirements” is being held at the offices of the Associated General Contractors, San Diego Chapter, on Wednesday, January 21 or Wednesday, February 17, from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Cost is $75 for AGC members, $150 for non-members.
Download class flyer and reigster.
Contact the experts at JB Safety & Rescue Services for a one-on-one OSHA 30o training session at your office.