MIOSHA Reminds Employers They Must Post Job-Related Injuries and Illnesses

Contact: Judith Shane (517) 322-1791

Agency: Licensing and Regulatory Affairs

February 2, 2012 - Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) Director Doug Kalinowski reminds Michigan employers they are required to post the total number of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2011.

Employers must post the MIOSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) for three months, from February 1 to April 30, 2012. The form is available on our website.

"Outstanding Michigan employers use the MIOSHA recordkeeping logs as the foundation for a proactive safety and health system that protects their workers," said MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski. "These employers not only provide a safe and healthy work environment - they reap the added ‘Bottom Line' benefits of improved quality and increased productivity."

One of the most important components to an employer's total safety and health effort is accurate recordkeeping. Here's why:

- Conscientious and detailed records can provide employers with a clear picture of their work environment, and can help prevent work-related injuries and illnesses in the future.

- Injury and illness data can help identify problem areas. The more you know, the better you can identify and correct hazardous workplace conditions.

- Employers can better administer company safety and health programs with accurate records.

- As employee awareness about injuries, illnesses, and hazards in the workplace increases, workers are more likely to follow safe work practices and report workplace hazards.

MIOSHA requires most Michigan employers with 11 or more employees to log and maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses, and to make those records available during MIOSHA inspections of the workplace.

"Employee participation is a key strategy in any effective workplace safety and health system," said Kalinowski. "When employers and employees have accurate information, they can work together to design long-lasting safety and health solutions."

These records include: MIOSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses); MIOSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report); and MIOSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses). The summary must list the total numbers of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in 2011 and were logged on the MIOSHA Form 300.

Employment information about annual average number of employees and total hours worked during the calendar year is also required to assist in calculating incidence rates.

Companies with no injuries and illnesses during the previous year are still required to post the MIOSHA Form 300A with zeros entered on the total line. A company executive must certify that the totals are correct and sign the form, which is then displayed wherever notices to employees are usually posted.

Employers with 10 or fewer employees and employers in certain industry groups (retail trade, finance, insurance and real estate, and certain services industries) are normally exempt from the MIOSHA recordkeeping and posting requirements. These exemptions do not exclude any employer from coverage by MIOSHA or from compliance with all applicable safety and health standards.

The MIOSHA Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division provides extensive recordkeeping outreach activities. CET safety and health consultants have developed PowerPoint™ presentations, training materials, and flow charts with medical treatment examples. Annually, CET schedules recordkeeping training seminars across the state. Please contact the CET Division at 517.322.1809, or at www.michigan.gov/cet, for more information. The CET Training Calendar is available at www.michigan.gov/mioshatraining.

Recordkeeping information is available on the MIOSHA website at www.michigan.gov/recordkeeping. This site includes: general guidelines, the forms, and frequent Q & As. To receive the required forms, employers can also call 517.322.1851.

The recordkeeping rule, Part 11, Recording and Reporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, is found at www.michigan.gov/mioshastandards. Employers can call the Management Information Systems Section at 517.322.1848 for information about recording injuries and illnesses.

All employers are also reminded they are required by law to notify MIOSHA within eight hours of a fatality, or any hospitalization of three or more employees suffering injury or illness from an accident. A special report line is available 24 hours, at the Fatality & Catastrophe Hotline, 800.858.0397.

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