Update Alert: OSHA's Deadline For Submitting 2016 Injury And Illness Data Electronically Extended To December 15, 2017

In the most recent edition of the Fast Laner, we reported on OSHA's deadline of December 1, 2017, to comply with OSHA's new electronic reporting rule. While we hope that our clients and friends are getting ready for a great Thanksgiving Holiday, we wanted to make sure that you received the somewhat good news that OSHA announced this morning that the deadline for complying with the electronic reporting rule has been extended to December 15, 2017. As we have mentioned in the past, OSHA’s rule generated significant controversy, as well as some hope that the current administration would abandon these requirements. This morning’s announcement signals that while changes to these rules may be taken up later, electronic reporting will not go away before the December 15 deadline. Covered employers with 250 or more employees, as well as employers with 20 to 249 employees in certain “high risk” industries must submit 2016 OSHA injury and illness data through OSHA’s online web portal by this date. With only three weeks left to comply, affected employers should review OSHA’s submission portal as soon as possible, to reduce the risk of a last-second mistake.   [Editor's note: The year referenced in the title of the OSHA article in the November 20th Fast Laner edition should state "2016."]