The Osha “Final Rule”: Springboard to Excellence in Health & Safety

For decades, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has required employers to keep track of their workers' injuries and illnesses by recording them in what is called an "OSHA log."

Under a Final Rule, effective January 1, 2017, OSHA will now make injury and illness data public, requiring employers to electronically submit that data to the Agency for posting to the OSHA website.  The Final Rule also includes provisions that encourage workers to report work-related injuries or illnesses to their employers, and prohibit employers from retaliating against workers for making those reports.

As Supreme Court Justice Louise D. Brandeis once said about transparency: "Sunshine is the best disinfectant." Making health and illness tracking data available on the web (sunshine) is designed to "nudge" employers to focus on safety (disinfectant).

Health & Safety is No Afterthought

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) affects all levels of an organization, from plant manager to CEO.  OHS compliance has always been important from an operational perspective, but now its relevance has increased beyond operations in benchmarking, brand reputation, sales, marketing, and more.