Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses-Proposed Rule Beware

No mention at all of "we're going to post your data on line for the world to see."

No mention at all of “we’re going to post your data on line for the world to see.”

” The proposal does not add any new requirement to keep records; it only modifies an employer’s obligation to transmit these records to OSHA.”- OSHA Director David Michaels

Warning to employers, when Government Officials only give you half the story, you are not getting the full truth.

What is the rest of the story?

Take a look at item II.2. e in the Federal register notice of the  NPRM:

osha nprmsnip

Why does the federal government insist that private industry guard privacy rights, when it is the biggest offender regarding the publication of private data?

As employers, we agree that injuries and illnesses should be tracked and reported to officials for official purposes.

We disagree that the data reported for statistical and enforcement purposes should be broadly disseminated and made accessible for those with no regulatory need.

The president famously said that “If You Can’t Trust Government, We’re Going to Have Some Problems”

OBAMA Can't Trust The Government

Telling employers that “The proposal does not add any new requirement to keep records, it only modifies an employer’s obligation to transmit these records to OSHA” is disingenuous at best.

OSHA will hold an informal  public meeting  on the Improved Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses proposed rule on January 9th, 2014 in Washington DC. 

A Federal Register notice announcing the public meeting will be published shortly. We need to tell them that we object to this proposal.

An agency that says the only thing that changed  is how we transmit the records to OSHA while it intends to publish them online is not telling the whole truth.

We agree with the President.  “If we cannot trust the executive branch with our data, we’re going to have some problems.”

Federal Register

Can’t Trust the Government

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