Source: Occupational Safety & Health Administration
A public comment period on an amended OSHA rule, where the agency clarifies an employer’s continuing obligation to make and maintain an accurate record of each recordable injury and illness over a five-year period, runs through September 28. OSHA proposes no new compliance obligations and does not call for any injury or illness records beyond existing requirements.
“Accurate records are not simply paperwork, but have an important, in fact life-saving purpose,” says Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “They will enable employers, employees, researchers and the government to identify and eliminate the most serious workplace hazards—ones that have already caused injuries and illnesses to occur.”
OSHA is issuing this proposed rule in light of a U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit decision spotlighting recordable injury or illness recordkeeping requirements. Members of the public can submit written comments on the proposed rule at www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal.