[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 41 (Thursday, February 29, 1996)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7758-7760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-4431]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Parts 1904 and 1952

[Docket No. R-02]


Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting 
Requirements

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 
Department of Labor.

ACTION: Proposed rule: addendum.

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SUMMARY: OSHA is publishing the executive summary of the Preliminary 
Economic Analysis for its proposed rule covering the recording and 
reporting of workplace deaths, injuries and illnesses, which appeared 
in the Federal Register on February 2, 1996 (61 FR 4030).

DATES: OSHA invites the public to submit written comments on the 
results of the Preliminary Economic Analysis on or before May 2, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments are to be submitted in writing in 
quadruplicate to: Docket Officer, Docket No. R-02, Occupational Safety 
and Health Administration, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202) 219-
7894. To obtain copies of the full Preliminary Economic Analysis, 
contact the OSHA Docket Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Anne Cyr at (202) 219-8148.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OSHA published a proposed rule covering the 
recording and reporting of workplace deaths, injuries and illnesses on 
February 2, 1996. This addendum is intended to provide the public with 
information from the Preliminary Economic Analysis associated with the 
proposed rulemaking by publishing the executive summary. The OSHA 
Office of Regulatory Analysis prepared the Preliminary Economic 
Analysis of the rule and the analysis has been entered into the OSHA 
Docket (Docket R-02, Exhibit 13).

    Signed in Washington, D.C., this 22nd day of February, 1996.
Joseph A. Dear,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.

Preliminary Economic Analysis for the Proposed Regulation for Recording 
and Reporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (29 CFR Part 1904) 
Executive Summary

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is 
proposing to revise its regulation on Recording and Reporting 
Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, which is codified at 29 CFR 1904. 
The proposed regulation will make a number of changes to OSHA's 
existing recordkeeping rule that are designed both to simplify 
recordkeeping and increase the accuracy and usefulness of the data 
recorded.
    The proposed changes include changes in: OSHA Form 200, the Log and 
Summary of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (to be renumbered Form 
300), which contains one-line descriptions of all recordable 
occupational injuries and illnesses occurring at the establishment; 
OSHA Form 101, the Supplementary Record (to be renumbered Form 301 and 
designated the Incident Record), which provides additional detail about 
each case recorded on the Log; and associated 

[[Page 7759]]
supplemental instructions. The revisions are designed to yield better 
data on occupational injuries and illnesses, to simplify employers' 
recordkeeping systems, to increase the utility of injury and illness 
records at the establishment/site level, to take greater advantage of 
modern technology, and to increase employee involvement and awareness. 
In addition, these revisions would modify the scope of the 
recordkeeping regulation to exclude many smaller establishments and to 
extend the coverage of the regulation to establishments in several 
industries not previously covered. Several other industries would be 
newly exempted. The net effect of these changes in scope is to target 
the regulation more effectively so that more occupational injuries and 
illnesses will be recorded accurately but fewer establishments will be 
covered by the regulation overall.

Industry Profile

    An estimated 756,238 establishments employing 11 or more workers in 
various Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes that have 
historically high rates of injuries and illnesses currently must 
maintain OSHA records at all times. These establishments have an 
estimated 47,541,258 employees and record an estimated 4,789,085 
occupational cases per year. The proposed regulation would cover fewer 
establishments than the current regulation (620,879 vs. 756,238), but 
would capture a larger number of the occupational injuries and 
illnesses occurring every year (approximately 5.1 million vs. 4.8 
million).

Costs and Economic Impact

    When compared with the existing rule, the proposed rule will reduce 
the overall recordkeeping burden on the business community. The net 
cost savings associated with the proposed revisions to the existing 
recordkeeping regulation are estimated to be $4.7 million per year. 
Economic impacts will be minimal, even for the minority of firms that 
incur some cost increases.
    The following table from Chapter III of the Preliminary Economic 
Analysis provides an overview of the costs associated with the current 
rule, the proposed rule, and the resulting cost savings.

                                             Total and Net Costs of All Revisions to the Recordkeeping Rule                                             
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                                                                                                                              Total Costs               
                                                                     Estimated      Estimated       Time      Total Cost of   Associated    Net Costs of
                                                                     Number of      Number of   Required for     Revised         with         Proposed  
                          Cost Element                            Establishments      Cases       Activity      Regulation     Existing      Regulation 
                                                                     Affected       Affected      (Minutes)     (Dollars)        Rule        (Dollars)  
                                                                                                                               (Dollars)                
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Learning Basics of Recordkeeping System--Establishments Not                                                                                             
 Formerly Covered*..............................................       162,361    ............            25      186,764               0      186,764  
Learning Basics of Record Keeping System--Turnover..............       124,176    ............            25    1,003,246       1,466,363     (463,117) 
Learning About Revised Recordkeeping System (Establishments That                                                                                        
 Will Continue to Be Covered)*..................................       458,518    ............            15      316,461               0      316,461  
Set Up and Post Log.............................................       620,879    ............             8    1,605,194       1,955,146     (349,951) 
    Certify Log (certification must be by plant manager rather                                                                                          
     than recordkeeper).........................................       620,879    ............             5    2,264,816         488,786    1,776,030  
    Provide Additional Information on Establishments............       620,879    ............             5    1,003,246               0    1,003,246  
Maintain Log (time requirements reduced from 15 to 10 minutes                                                                                           
 per case to reflect simplified case entry)**...................  ..............     5,088,947            10   16,445,935      23,215,308   (6,769,373) 
Maintain Individual Reports of Injury (Form 301 requires 3                                                                                              
 minutes less than Form 101 which it replaces)..................  ..............       508,895            17    2,795,809       3,095,374     (299,565) 
    Option for Electronic Storage of Logs.......................  ..............       449,055            -2     (290,242)              0     (290,242) 
    Option to Keep Log Offsit...................................  ..............       101,779            -5     (164,459)              0     (164,459) 
Provide Data to OSHA Inspectors.................................  ..............        40,000             2       27,854          25,854        2,000  
Allow Employee Access to Form 301...............................  ..............       444,222             1      165,770               0      165,770  
Maintain Separate Records for ``Other Workers'' at Construction                                                                                         
 Sites..........................................................  ..............        52,074            10      168,287               0      168,287  
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        Total...................................................  ..............  ............  ............   25,528,682      30,246,832   (4,718,149) 
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*This one time cost has been annualized over ten years at a discount rate of 7 percent.                                                                 
**In addition, there would be non-quantifiable costs savings as a result of using a new column that would be provided on Form 300.                      
                                                                                                                                                        
Sources: County Business Patterns (1992), BLS Annual Survey (1991), OSHA Office of Regulatory Analysis.                                                 

Benefits

    The proposed changes to the recordkeeping requirements are 
associated with a number of potential benefits, including:
     More effective preventive efforts by employers, which 
could eliminate a minimum of 25,445 to 50,889 illnesses and injuries 
per year, based on current experience;
     Better identification by OSHA of types or patterns of 
injuries and illnesses and prevention efforts;
     Greater employer and employee awareness of the causes of 
occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities;
     Better data to assist in developing regulatory priorities;
     Better data for setting priorities among establishments 
for inspection purposes; and
     Increased ability of compliance officers to focus on 
significant hazards during inspections.

Economic Impact, Regulatory Flexibility, Environmental Impact, and 
International Trade Analysis

    The average establishment affected by the proposed changes to the 
recordkeeping requirements is estimated to experience a net reduction 
in 

[[Page 7760]]
recordkeeping costs annually. Thus, OSHA believes that the proposed 
regulation will not impose adverse economic impacts on firms in the 
regulated community. The proposed exemption from the regulation of all 
non-construction establishments with fewer than 20 employees will mean 
that most small entities will experience even larger cost savings. 
OSHA, therefore, does not expect the proposed regulation to have 
significant environmental or international effects. OSHA welcomes 
comments, and supporting data where available, on all aspects of the 
Preliminary Economic Analysis.

[FR Doc. 96-4431 Filed 2-28-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-P