The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Form 300A, which lists a summary of the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred during 2014 at each workplace, must be posted between February 1 and April 30, 2015. Place it in a conspicuous location where notices to employees are usually posted, and make sure that the posting is not altered, defaced, or covered by other material.
The summary must include the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2014 and were logged on OSHA Form 300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. To assist in calculating incidence rates, the form requires information about the annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year. If there were no recordable injuries or illnesses in 2014, employers may enter “zero” on the total line.
A company executive must sign and certify the form. This can include: (1) any officer of the corporation; (2) the highest-ranking company official working at the establishment; (3) the immediate supervisor of the highest-ranking company official working at the establishment; or (4) an owner of the company (permitted only if the company is a sole proprietorship or partnership).
Employers with ten or fewer employees and employers in certain industries are normally exempt from federal OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping and posting requirements, including the annual Form 300A posting. A list of exempt industries can be found on OSHA’s website. Remember that the Bureau of Labor Statistics may still select exempted employers to participate in an annual statistical survey.
More importantly, all employers covered by OSHA must report work-related employee fatalities to OSHA within eight hours. Effective January 1, 2015, all work-related in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or losses of an eye must be reported within 24 hours. Employers that contact an OSHA Area Office and that are not able to speak directly to a person should call OSHA’s national hotline at 800-321-6742 rather than sending a fax or leaving a voice mail message. It’s okay to leave a voice mail on the national hotline; OSHA records and dates each message. OSHA is preparing to implement an online reporting form, but it is not currently available.
