OMB begins review of OSHA recording rule
Washington – A final OSHA rule that would update the agency’s industry classification system and amend employer reporting requirements was submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for review on Feb. 19.
OMB reviews are limited to 90 days, but can be extended.
According to the proposed version of the rule published in 2011, OSHA would revise an appendix in the Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illness Standard (1904) that lists low-hazard industries exempted from the standard. The list was based on the Standard Industrial Classification system, but the rule would update the list using the more broadly used North American Industry Classification System, first introduced in 1997.
The rule also would amend employers’ reporting requirements. Currently, employers are required to report to OSHA within eight hours any workplace fatality or an incident in which three or more workers are hospitalized. The new rule would require reporting for all in-patient hospitalizations regardless of number, as well as reporting any work-related amputations within 24 hours.