According to OSHA, the importance of recordkeeping is a critical part in employer’s safety and health efforts for a few reasons: Keeping track of work-related injuries and illnesses can help you prevent them in the future. Using injury and illness data helps identify problem areas. The more you know, the better you can identify and» Read Full Article

In June, 2011, OSHA will implement their new residential fall protection rules.  This short video explains a common sense approach to comply with these new rules.   A copy of the new rules can be obtained by visiting www.OSHA.gov.  This video addresses how these new rules affect the obligations of the general contractor.  These rules apply» Read Full Article

Recently one of our LWMMI (League of Wisconsin Municipalities) insureds asked this question, “Are municipalities (and related entities) covered by OSHA?” and an issue of The Municipality, confirmed a response we initially provided… “Local governments are not subject to state regulations, which are at least as stringent as OSHA, does not have jurisdiction over the state or» Read Full Article

Municipalities, public schools and anyone employing “public sector” employees must complete an OSHA 300 log.  The deadline is March 1 each year for public sector employers.  Additionally, they are required to annually complete form SBD-10710 which is the same information that is on the OSHA 300A form.  Unlike OSHA that requires completion of the log by companies that employ» Read Full Article

Did you know that on February 1st, companies that employ more than 10 people will be required to post an OSHA 300A form?  What is that?  Is your company required to do this?  How do you do it? What goes on the 300 log?  Learn more about the OSHA 300 Log… Want to know more about the OSHA» Read Full Article

OSHA is implementing several changes to its administrative penalty calculation system. Many of the agency’s current penalty adjustment factors have been in place since the early 1970′s, resulting in penalties which are often too low to have an adequate deterrent effect. Administrative penalty adjustments will therefore be made to several factors which impact the final» Read Full Article

 This question was posed by one of the LWMMI insured utility districts and the timing was perfect as the August 2009 issue of “The Municipality”, a publication of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities confirmed the response we provided. Here’s the response (slightly paraphrased) from “The Municipality”: Local governments are not subject to Occupational Safety and» Read Full Article

According to OSHA, the SVEP will “focus increased enforcement attention on significant hazards and violations” by concentrating on employers that have demonstrated “indifference” to workplace safety obligations through willful, repeated, or failure-to abate-violations in four areas:

“Better to be safe than sorry.” This is normally a good philosophy to live by. But when it comes to filling out your company OSHA 300 log, this is one time where that rule can cost you. If you’re over reporting on your OSHA 300 log, your company can end up with excessively high frequency and severity rates, which can draw the wrong kind of attention. Are you over recording on your OSHA 300 log? What you don’t know could be costing you!

The OSHA 300 log, formally known as the “Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses”, is used to classify work-related injuries and illnesses and to note the extent and severity of each case. The log itself is really a listing of employee injuries, and any contract or temporary employee injuries that happened during that calendar year. So, if you have temps working for you and they are injured at your work place, you are required to put that on your OSHA 300 Log.