Saturday, January 31, 2009

California Division of Occupational Safety and Health Reminds California Employers to Post Form 300A

The Department of Industrial Relations’ Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DIR/DOSH) has issued a press release reminding California employers to post at their place of business a summary of work-related injuries and illnesses during 2008.

The Form 300A requires employers to report the number of injuries each year, even if no work-related injuries occurred. Vital information must also include the nature of the injury or illness that the employee suffered, the severity of the work-related incidents and the number of days the employee missed work due to the injury.

The deadline is upon us. According to Cal/OSHA, the summary must be displayed in a visible area from Feb. 1 through April 30 for employee review.  The posting period helps improve safety, according to state officials. “The summary is designed to create safety awareness in the workplace for employers and employees so similar injuries can be prevented in the future,” notes DIR Director John. C Duncan

Which employers must post Form 300a? Employers with 11 or more employees, except those covered in the California low-hazard establishments in the retail, services, finance and real estate sectors. For information about whether your company is an excepted establishment, follow this link to the Cal/OSHA website: List of exempt establishments.

Covered employers must display the totals from the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (CAL/OSHA form 300A) wherever employee notices are usually posted. Cal/OSHA also requires employers to mail or provide the annual summary to employees who do not report at least weekly to a location where the annual summary for their workplace is posted.
If there is more than one business establishment, a separate log and summary must be posted in each physical location that is expected to be in operation for one year or longer.

Submitted by:
Christopher W. Olmsted, Esq.
Barker Olmsted & Barnier, APLC

Sunday, December 21, 2008

U.S. Department of Labor’s OSHA Reports Successful Enforcement Year In 2008

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that it continued to exceed enforcement goals during Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. In its press release, the agency reports that its emphasis on identifying and eliminating serious safety and health hazards has resulted in an unprecedented 80 percent of all violations issued being in the most serious categories.

Among the DOL’s statistics:

87,697. Number of logged violations of OSHA standards and regulations for worker safety and health in 2008.

67,052. Number of 2008 OSHA violations cited as “serious.”

12. Number of criminal referrals for wrongdoing under the Occupational Safety and Health Act made in 2008.

38,515. Number of OSHA worksite inspections in 2008, surpassing the agency’s goal for the year by 2.4 percent. On average, 4,000 more workplace inspections were completed each year (38,515) between FY 2001-2008 as compared to the prior administration FY 1993-2000 (34,508).

3,800. Number of worksites targeted by the DOL for unannounced comprehensive safety inspections.

“Workplace inspections and issuing citations are a critical part of OSHA’s balanced approach to improving workplace safety, but the real test of success is saving lives and preventing injuries,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Thomas M. Stohler in the December 19, 2008 press release. “According to preliminary numbers for 2007, the workplace fatality rate has declined 14 percent since 2001, and since 2002, the workplace injury and illness rate has dropped 21 percent - with both at all time lows. This year’s inspection numbers show that the strategic approach used by OSHA - targeting highest hazard workplaces for aggressive enforcement while also using education, training, and cooperative programs to improve overall compliance - can help achieve significant reductions in workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities.”

Submitted by:
Christopher W. Olmsted, Esq.
Barker Olmsted & Barnier, APLC