New OSHA Reporting Requirements

Dottie

I am beginning to see information about new OSHA reporting requirements effective January 1, 2002. I want to get info out to my outlying properties so that they can comply. Other than the new forms and the new three-month posting of the summary, are there any other major points of which we need to be aware?

System

Hi Dottie,

Anne Williams, an attorney on our staff, just wrote an excellent special report on this topic: "The H in OSHA Stands for Health." Chapter 9, "OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements" covers the new requirements.

If you're a Law Center member, you can access the report for free. Otherwise, it's $47. Here's a link to more information:

[url]http://www.hrhero.com/special.shtml#osha[/url]

Christy Reeder
Website Managing Editor
[url]www.HRhero.com[/url]

DB

I'm confused. Earlier this year I pulled all of the information about the new forms and requirements from the OSHA website. At the end of June, I went to a Personnel Recording Keeping seminar and the presenter stated "Forget all of the OSHA recording keeping changes - they went the same way as the Ergonomics regulations." Are the changes back in place now or did they never go away and my presenter was wrong? If the changes are back, are they the same as what was out earlier this year or do I need to reprint and read all of the information?

awilliams

Alas, I think you may have been given some bad advice. There was some talk that the recordkeeping rules might be delayed, however, on June 29, 2001, Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Labor announced that the OSHA recordkeeping rules will go into effect as scheduled on January 1, 2002. However, OSHA is delaying the part of the rules that effect work-related hearing loss until it can define what level of hearing loss is necessary to be recorded. OSHA is also delaying the portion of the rules that effect musculoskeletal disorders until a comprehensive ergonomic program is put into place. (You may recall that OSHA's previous ergonomic program was KO'd by congress earlier this year.) OSHA expects a new ergonomic plan to be unveiled this fall. If you want more information about the recordkeeping requirements, an OSHA press release on the effective date can be found at:
[url]http://www.osha.gov/media/oshnews/june01/national-20010629.html[/url]
The actual text of the federal recordkeeping rules can be found at:
[url]http://www.osha-slc.gov/FedReg_osha_data/FED20010119.html[/url].


Anne Williams
Attorney Editor
M. Lee Smith Publishers, LLC
Author of "The H in OSHA Stands for Health"