The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) recently issued new rules that will significantly impact employers in two ways:
- As of December 1, 2016, anti-retaliation protections went into effect that restrict employer policies regarding post-accident drug testing and require employers to inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses
- Starting on January 1, 2017, certain employers (depending on size and industry) must electronically submit certain injury and illness data to the Federal OSHA for posting to OSHA’s website
This applies to your company on January 1, 2017 if:
- Your company has 250 or more employees at any location during the year, including temporary and seasonal workers. If you qualify under this, you must report on OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301, -OR-
- Your company has 20-249 employees at any location during the year (including temporary and seasonal workers) and your business is listed as one of these industries. If your company qualifies, you must electronically submit information on OSHA Form 300A only.
In addition, if you have a “Post-Accident Drug Testing” policy, you can no longer condition a post-accident drug or alcohol test solely on the occurrence of an accident at the workplace. Instead, you must have a reasonable suspicion that drugs and/or alcohol use was a contributing factor to the accident.
For more on the new OSHA rule, visit the OSHA website.
Beginning 12/1/2016:
- Inform employees of their right to report work-related injuries and illnesses
- Ensure the required L&I poster is prominently displayed to satisfy the new OSHA rule. The poster can be found on the L&I website
- Review your ‘Post-Accident Drug Testing’ policy (if applicable) to ensure it complies with the new rule
Beginning 1/1/2017:
- Certain employers must submit injury and illness data electronically to OSHA