OSHA’s new Injury Tracking Application (ITA) allows employers to digitally submit injury and illness data required under the new electronic record keeping rule. Starting Aug. 1, companies with at least 250 employees will be required to electronically submit the following injury and illness records:

• OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses)
• OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses)
• OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report)

Employers have until Dec. 1 to submit their 2016 300A records. This deadline was originally set for July 1 but was delayed for the new administration to become more familiar with the requirements before enacting them.

The ITA

The ITA will provide employers with a central system for submitting their data. According to OSHA, there are three ways to submit data: manual entry, uploading CSV files, and an interface within the application that allows users to sync their records directly with the platform. The process for submitting data involves four steps:

1. Creating an establishment
2. Adding 300A summary data
3. Submitting data to OSHA
4. Reviewing the confirmation email

The Benefit of Going Digital

OSHA plans to electronically post the collected injury and illness data from companies with 20 or more employees. This would make the information searchable and available for the public, increasing transparency within certain high-risk industries.

Other benefits of digital records include the ability to better determine trends within the industry, as well as improve overall organization and audits.

Electronic record keeping can also improve other areas of health and safety in the workplace, including regulating and measuring Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL)

Accurately reporting illnesses can lead to better protection for employees in the future. Employers can look to qualified medical testing companies for assistance in keeping employees healthy and the worksite compliant. Companies such as Worksite Medical offer mobile services that can come directly to the jobsite, saving employers money and time.

Worksite Medical aims to help employers keep their company OSHA compliant. You can visit the ITA website starting Aug. 1 to begin submitting your injury and illness data. Then schedule an appointment with our mobile medical unit to stay on track with accurate information and reporting for the rest of the year.