Working Safely
By: Steve Sayer
Oyez, oyez, oyez!; acting as an unsanctioned town-crier, I’m ringing the bell to remind you that OSHA’s regulatory clock is ticking down for you to post your company’s OSHA 300A forms no later than midnight February 1st – thus reflecting the eventful calendar year that was 2010.
Copies of the OSHA 300A forms must remain posted at a conspicuous place or places, up to and including April 30th each calendar year. The OSHA 300A log posting requirements applies even if you were lucky enough to have zero injuries and illnesses at your company during the preceding calendar year.
However, if your company had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year, or, if your establishment is classified in a specific low hazard risk industry, you do not need to keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics informs you in writing that you must keep records.
Nonetheless, for the vast majority of you that are required to maintain OSHA 300 records, failure to follow prescribed OSHA 300 recordkeeping requirements can result with an OSHA citation and fine – if you’re caught. As an employer, you are required to prepare and maintain accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses that occur at your establishment. In addition, don’t forget that OSHA 300 recordkeeping documents have a retention requirement of 5 years.
Effective recordkeeping is just as important as safety training when it comes to avoiding workplace injuries and illnesses. Recordkeeping gives you a solid foundation for a successful and well-managed safety program. The OSHA 300 recordkeeping log is an excellent tool for generating data that your company can use to measure and direct preventive safety measures for the future.
As a supplementary caveat; be aware too that in February 2010, OSHA had updated and extended its recordkeeping national emphasis program (NEP) to February 2012. The NEP is designed to investigate (and cite employers when appropriate) whether injuries and illnesses (and to what depth) are being underreported and/or incorrectly reported by employers.
The NEP is only zeroing in on those discerning employers within low-rate establishments operating in historically high-rate industries; simply because OSHA postulates that’s where most of the underreporting is occurring.
For further help, Steve has links on his blog site
@ www.meatingplace.com
Blogs: Steve Sayer
