The
Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed that companies may be required, for the first time in history,
to publicly report all worker-related illnesses and injuries that occur
in their company. Reports claim that this new rule will mainly affect
the larger companies in order to hold them to a higher standard of excellence.
The Labor Department is to propose this new regulation on Thursday, according
to sources.
Companies with Over 250 Employees
A company is considered to be “large” as long as there are
over 250 employees, and these companies will be held to a more vulnerable
standard every time there is an illness or injury related to their workplace.
As a result of this new rule, workplace safety practices for reporting
incidents will be greatly affected, hopefully for the better of the people
who are hurt on the job. This new system will include an electronic filing
database in which the employer will be required to enter any incidents,
these will then become public knowledge for any person or company to find.
Workplace Safety Reform Goals
The Obama Administration has made numerous efforts in order to improve
safety for the workplace and they hope that this new rule is going to
urge more and more companies to comply with the safety laws enforced by
the government. Another goal for this change is that because the government
can only keep track of so much with regards to inspections and fines that
are enforced by OSHA. If the public has a closer eye on the incidents,
perhaps the companies will be more likely to comply and the workers will
be benefited for the better.
Current regulations for workplace injuries only require employers to post
them in a way that the employees have access, though there is no public
accountability available. President Obama feels that with this new regulation,
company transparency will be increased and that over time it will result
in less accidents and injuries for employees across the United States.
Opposing Opinions Express Concerns for the New Changes
Vice president of Human Resources Policy for the National Association of
Manufactures trade group, Joe Trauger has voiced his concerns for these
changes. He claims that by allowing the public to have access to the information,
they are benefiting little or not at all by this information. Trauger
fears that these efforts will do nothing to force the employer to fulfil
their roles with workplace safety, nor will it help those who have suffered
make their way back to work after their recovery.
OSHA responds to this stating that often times “regulation by shaming”
is an effective tool and they hope that it will lead to employers removing
the life-threatening
hazards from their worksites to avoided public criticism. One source claims that
often times after a workplace accident, a $50,000 fine from OSHA does
little to harm their business and nothing to cause them to change. However,
when you throw in a press release to the public, they hope that this will
establish a deterrent for the employers to improve their workplace safety
practices.
Contacting Arnold & Itkin for a Workplace Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one have been injured in a
workplace accident, please do not hesitate to reach out to our firm today for the highly
experienced workplace injury lawyer you deserve on your side. Whether
or not the company is publicly shamed for their actions, if you were injured
because of their negligence, you deserve compensation for your pain and
suffering.
Contact our team at Arnold & Itkin today to further discuss your situation and we will
help you determine the best course of action against those responsible
for your injury.