Under OSHA’s Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses regulation, certain employers covered by OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements must annually file either their 300A or their 300A, 300 Log and 301 forms depending on the establishment size and other criteria.  For 2017, all employers covered by the regulation were required to file only their 2016 300A form.

The deadline for filing the 2016 300A was originally July 1, 2017, however that was delayed until December 15th, 2017.  Then the Agency delayed that deadline further, allowing employers until midnight on December 30, 2017 to submit the information. During the lead-up to the submission deadline, 60,000 accounts were created on the Injury Tracking Application (“ITA”) and over 214,000 300A forms were submitted.  However, this number fell short of the 350,000 submissions (excluding state plans) that OSHA had anticipated.  According to OSHA, a little over one-third of establishments required to respond did not respond (non-responders).  Starting January 1, 2018, the ITA was no longer accepting the 2016 data and it is now too late to submit the 2016 300A form.

On February 21, 2018, OSHA issued an enforcement memorandum to Regional Administrators regarding the agency’s policy for non-responders. As part of any on-site inspection, OSHA has instructed its compliance officers to inquire whether that establishment has electronically filed its 2016 300A form. If the compliance officer learns that the establishment was required to electronically submit its 300A form and failed to do so, OSHA will issue an other-than-serious citation for failing to comply with the regulation.  According to OSHA, the agency has six-months from December 15, 2017, so until June 15, 2018 to issue citations to those employers who failed to electronically file the required information.

OSHA has also indicated that it will conduct a mass mailing outreach to employers who did not submit their 300A forms to inform them of their obligations under the regulation. Additionally, OSHA is currently reviewing the 300A forms that were submitted and intends to use the data to develop inspection targeting similar to the site specific targeting.

As we previously indicated on the blog, it is still anticipated that this regulation will be amended and a notice of proposed rulemaking will be issued in the future.

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Photo of Tressi L. Cordaro Tressi L. Cordaro

Tressi L. Cordaro is a Principal in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is co-leader of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Health Practice Group. She advises and represents employers on occupational safety and health matters before federal and state…

Tressi L. Cordaro is a Principal in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She is co-leader of the firm’s Workplace Safety and Health Practice Group. She advises and represents employers on occupational safety and health matters before federal and state OSHA enforcement agencies.

Ms. Cordaro has advised employers faced with willful and serious citations as the result of catastrophic events and fatalities, including citations involving multi-million dollar penalties. Ms. Cordaro’s approach to representing an employer cited by OSHA is to seek an efficient resolution of contested citations, reserving litigation as the option if the client’s business objectives cannot otherwise be achieved. As a result, she has secured OSHA withdrawals of citations without the need for litigation.

Ms. Cordaro’s unique experience with government agencies involved in OSHA enforcement enables her to provide employers with especially insightful guidance as to how regulators view OSHA compliance obligations, and evaluate contested cases.

Ms. Cordaro served as the Presidentially-appointed Legal Counsel and Special Advisor to the past Chairman and Commissioner Horace A. Thompson, III at the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Review Commission (OSHRC) in Washington, DC, the agency that adjudicates contested federal OSHA citations. As the Commissioner’s chief counsel, Ms. Cordaro analyzed all cases presented to the OSHRC and advocated the Commissioner’s position during decisional meetings.

In addition, Ms. Cordaro worked at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration developing OSHA standards, regulations and enforcement and compliance policies, with emphasis on the construction industry. She has in-depth experience on technical issues including, in particular, issues related to cranes and derricks in construction.

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