Accuracy in completing OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping forms and posting summary information annually records are critical indicators - both for employers and for OSHA. They tell OSHA how a company is doing with efforts to keep workers safe. Whenever OSHA visits a workplace, injury and illness records are the first thing the inspectors want to see. These records give OSHA a starting point to identify where problems may lie and may dictate the type of inspection to be conducted.
For employers, there is also great value in reviewing the records as a whole to identify patterns and trends. What's happening in specific departments and across the facility? How does your injury and illness experience stack up against others in your industry? Is it clear that your employees understand the need to wear protective equipment and follow safety rules?
Injury and illness records pinpoint weaknesses such as a lack of patient lift equipment, inadequate personal protective equipment, failures in communication, and insufficient training. Trust staff utilizes injury information in the form of claims data to determine trending. Trending information is then used to develop plans of action to assist members in preventing future injury and illness and improving a company's bottom line.
Records are important beyond individual establishments. OSHA needs to know how employers are doing collectively - the entire U.S. workforce. They need to find out where the problems are so they can work to address them through various programs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys about 200,000 employers - of all sizes and in all industries - to develop the national estimate of workplace injuries and illnesses issued every year.
In addition, each year about 80,000 sites in high-hazard industries are asked to send injury and illness data directly to OSHA. This gives OSHA an opportunity to track data directly and identify individual sites that need to improve. Sending accurate information and only information as requested by the regulation is crucial.
Services to assist members with their OSHA Recordkeeping Forms are available by request. For more information on this and other Loss Control Programs. Please contact us by e-mail at losscontrol@wctrust.com or by telephone (203) 678-0123, or faxing a Service Request form to (203) 678-0323.