MANY EXPECT OSHA TO DELAY JULY 1 ELECTRONIC FILING DEADLINE

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on May 17, 2017 that it was delaying the effective date of the Obama-era rule requiring that companies electronically report their injury and illness records.  The rule had taken effect January 1 and employers were obligated to send in their summary data by July 1, but now the effective date has been delayed.  Although the electronic reporting requirement is being challenged in two court cases, judges may not rule on the challenges before the July 1 effective date.  Further, much of the court challenge relates to what OSHA intended to do with the electronic records, as the agency plans to post data from each employer on its public website.