OSHA Releases New Rule That Will Affect Some Steel Product Manufacturers

Last week, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a final rule that, starting next summer, will require certain employers in high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness information, instead of only submitting the information if requested during an OSHA investigation.

The agency defines “high-hazard industries” to include plastic product manufacturing, steel product manufacturing from purchased steel, architectural and structural metals manufacturing, and hardware manufacturing and machine shops, along with other industries.

The final rule retains the current requirements for electronic submission of information from Form 300A from establishments with 20-249 employees in certain high-hazard industries and from establishments with 250 or more employees in industries that must routinely keep OSHA injury and illness records.

The electronic submission requirement will apply to such manufacturers with 100 employees or more and will take effect on July 1, 2024.

OSHA said it will publish some of the data collected on its website to allow employers, employees, potential employees, employee representatives, current and potential customers, researchers, and the general public to use information about a company’s workplace safety and health record to make informed decisions.

OSHA believes that providing public access to the data will ultimately reduce occupational injuries and illnesses. Read more here.