Employers Required to Post Injury/Illness Summaries Beginning February 1

Beginning February 1, employers subject to OSHA recordkeeping requirements must post a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today.  Employers are only required to post the Summary (OSHA Form 300A) -- not the OSHA 300 Log -- from Feb.1 to Apr. 30, 2006.

The summary must list the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2005 and were logged on the OSHA 300 form.  Employment information about annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required to assists in calculating incidence rates.  Companies with no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2005 must post the form with zeros on the total line.  All establishment summaries must be certified by a company executive.

The form is to be displayed in a common area wherever notices to employees are usually posted.  Employers must make a copy of the summary available to employees who move from worksite to worksite, such as construction workers, and employees who do not report to any fixed establishment on a regular basis.

Employers with ten or fewer employees and employers in certain industry groups are normally exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements.  A complete list of exempt industries in the retail, services, finance and real estate sectors is posted on OSHA's website.

Exempted employers may still be selected by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics to participate in an annual statistical survey.  All employers covered by OSHA need to comply with safety and health standards and must report verbally within eight hours to the nearest OSHA office all accidents that result in one ore more fatalities or in the hospitalization of three or more employees.

Copies of the OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301 are available on the OSHA Recordkeeping Webpage in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet format.

Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees.  OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health.  For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

If you have any questions regarding OSHA or a specific job related injury in your workplace that you need guidance on, HR-OneSource can provide help.  Please contact David L. Hansen, SPHR, CCP at (515) 221-1718 or hansend@hr-onesource.com.