The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a final rule intended to modernize injury data collection and incorporate that reporting into a new public database.
OSHA requires many employers to keep a record of injuries and illnesses to help identify hazards, fix problems, and prevent additional injuries and illnesses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports more than three million workers suffer a workplace injury or illness every year. “Currently, little or no information about worker injuries and illnesses at individual employers is made public or available to OSHA,” a statement by the agency says. “Under the new rule, employers in high-hazard industries will send OSHA injury and illness data that the employers are already required to collect, for posting on the agency’s website.”
