OMB completes review of OSHA recordkeeping rule

Washington – The White House Office of Management and Budget has completed its review of a rule from OSHA that would require electronic recordkeeping and reporting, a sign that the rule may soon be published.

The Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule would require employers with at least 250 employees to electronically submit injury and illness reports to OSHA on a quarterly basis. Similarly, employers with 20 to 249 employees in industries that have a days away from work, job restriction or job transfer rate averaging 2.0 or greater would be required to electronically submit information from their annual summary form, OSHA Form 300A. The data would then be made available to the public.

OSHA claims the rule will allow the agency to receive more accurate and timelier information. However, some stakeholders have raised concerns about whether making the data public will contribute to underreporting, and question the agency’s ability to “scrub” the information to ensure the privacy of injured workers.

OMB completed its review on April 29 after receiving the rule on Oct. 5, 2015. OSHA issued the proposed rule in November 2013.