OSHA Announces Crack Down on Recordkeeping Violations

As of August 2009, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) began a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) on injury and illness recordkeeping inspections being conducted at employers’ establishments with low incidence rates in historically high rate industries, as well as inspections of a sample of construction firms.

OSHA reminded employers how seriously it is taking recordkeeping and the alleged underreporting of occupational injuries and illnesses. The Bureau of National Affairs reported on remarks by Acting Assistant Secretary of OSHA, Jordan Barab, at the annual American Society of Safety Engineers convention in San Antonio: “OSHA’s pending recordkeeping National Emphasis Program will scrutinize companies in high-risk industries that post strikingly low accident and injury rates. OSHA inspectors will look not only at a company’s records but also its safety policies,” he said. In particular, agency inspectors will look for companies that discourage their employees from reporting workplace accidents, Barab said.

Employers should prepare for an OSHA recordkeeping inspection by:
• Reviewing the 300 logs and 301 incident reports for accuracy;
• Ensuring that the 300 logs reflect information from the 301 incident reports; and
• Comparing all OSHA recordkeeping forms with workers’ compensation records.

NFIB members who would like additional information can review the NFIB Small Business Guide to Handling OSHA Inspections, a valuable publication available free to NFIB members.