RECORD KEEPING

Excellence in OSHA Record Keeping Pays Off by Jill Cox



Excellence in OSHA Record Keeping Pays Off by Jill Cox

Brief Introduction of the Article

The article describes the regulations, and the OSHA Interpretation Letters that explains the recordkeeping requirements. The article also reflects that the recordkeeping violations are consistently among the most frequently cited standards. And, while record-keeping citations are often characterized as "Other Than Serious" with minor penalties, the violations are sometimes cited as "Willful" violations, with penalties in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Cox, 2007) The article depicts that the monetary penalties are frequently accompanied by national news releases designed to let everyone know what a bad employer the company is, and there is even the potential for criminal prosecution for record-keeping violations. Jill Cox explains 8 standards of excellence for the practices that make an employer's OSHA record keeping excel.

A statement on the legal aspects

Because of the confidentiality provisions contained in the Americans with Disabilities Act, medical personnel typically have legal access to all pertinent medical information, while safety personnel ordinarily do not. (Cox, 2007)Also, there is presently no regulation prohibiting or even addressing safety incentive programs, rest assured that OSHA will closely scrutinize any such program that appears to discourage accurate reporting. Finally as the regulations do not explicitly state that an audit must be conducted, they do require a company executive to sign the OSHA 300A annual summary form, certifying that he or she has examined the Log and reasonably believes that the annual summary is correct and complete.

Analysis of the key points in the article

Following are the key points presented in the article:

Proper record keeping will provide you with an accurate picture of the injuries and illnesses in your workplace. One should never forget that his/her safety records will provide OSHA ...