New DOL Rule Expands Electronic Submission of Injury Data in High-Hazard Industries
The new rule requires certain high-hazard industry employers to submit more comprehensive electronic injury and illness data.
- By Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Jan 03, 2024
Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has updated its regulations to institute enhanced protection measures for workers, mandating certain employers in high-hazard industries to submit more comprehensive electronic records of workplace injuries and illnesses.
Announced in July 2023, the regulation stipulates that companies with 100 or more employees in specific high-hazard sectors will be required to electronically submit detailed information from their Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) and Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) annually to OSHA. This requirement is in addition to the existing requirement to submit Form 300A, which provides a summary of work-related injuries and illnesses.
In particular, the rule focuses heavily on improving data quality. Establishments must now include their legal company name when electronically submitting injury and illness records. OSHA plans to publish some of this data on its website, making it accessible to employers, employees, potential employees, representatives, customers, researchers and the general public. This data can then be used to inform guide future decisions about workplace safety and health.
"Congress intended for the Occupational Safety and Health Act to include reporting procedures that would provide the agency and the public with an understanding of the safety and health problems workers face, and this rule is a big step in finally realizing that objective," OSHA Assistant Secretary Doug Parker said in a statement. "OSHA will use these data to intervene through strategic outreach and enforcement to reduce worker injuries and illnesses in high-hazard industries. The safety and health community will benefit from the insights this information will provide at the industry level, while workers and employers will be able to make more informed decisions about their workplace's safety and health."
The final rule also retains current electronic submission requirements for establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-hazard industries and for those with 250 or more employees in industries routinely keeping OSHA injury and illness records.
About the Author
Robert Yaniz Jr. is the Content Editor of Occupational Health & Safety.