USPOULTRY recently hosted a webinar providing guidance on Occupational Safety and Health Administration injury and illness recordkeeping and reporting. During the webinar, Matthew Spencer, vice president, HR & safety programs for USPOULTRY, provided a detailed recap of changing OSHA requirements, as well as how to appropriately address various scenarios that may arise.

Spencer began by outlining the basic requirements of OSHA recordkeeping, including to whom the requirements pertain, what injury and illness reporting does and does not mean, and exemptions to reporting requirements. He also pointed out that employees have a right to see pertinent injury and illness information, as well as have access to their own records and environmental testing for things such as noise, chemical concentrations, etc.

Spencer also placed emphasis on temporary workers. He noted that engaging temporary workers, even if there is an on-site supervisor provided by the staffing agency, does not allow the employer to abrogate its responsibility toward those workers.

Topics that recordkeepers need to be aware of were also discussed, including various forms and recording criteria. The question of what constitutes a work-related injury or illness was explored, with several scenarios used to illustrate how an injury or illness may or may not be recordable. Treatment of an illness or injury and its relation to recordability was also reviewed, with specific examples of what types of treatment would require an injury or illness to be classified as recordable. One important point to note is that recordable injuries or illnesses do not necessarily translate into worker’s compensation cases and vice versa.

The looming e-recordkeeping changes that will soon come into effect were also explained, including which forms would need to be filed electronically and when. The webinar concluded with a question and answer session covering a diverse selection of concerns raised by the attendees, ranging from commonplace issues to more unique situations.

More information about USPOULTRY’s OSHA Training Program is available at https://www.uspoultry.org/programs/employee-safety/.

Source: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association