News Release USDL: 97-36
Friday, January 31, 1997
CONTACT: Susan Hall Fleming, (202) 219-8151

OSHA Reminds Employers To Post Injury/Illness Summaries During February

Employers with 11 or more employees must post during the month of February a summary of job-related injuries and illnesses that occurred during 1996, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

"Posting the summary on the employee bulletin board gives all employees a chance to review the injuries and illnesses that are occurring at their worksite, alerting them to possible problems and enabling them to work with their employers to correct hazards and reduce risks to themselves and fellow employees," said Gregory R. Watchman, acting assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.

Employers with 10 fewer employees or those in most industry groups in retail trade; finance, insurance and real estate; and service industries are exempt from the QSHA recordkeeping and posting requirements. (Companies in Standard Industrial Classification codes 52, 53, 54, 70, 75, 76, 79 and 80 also must post the information for employees to see.)

Every employer covered by OSHA must display the OSHA poster and comply with applicable safety and health standards. Further, all employers must report to the nearest OSHA office within eight hours any accident that results in one or more fatalities or hospitalization of three or more employees.

Copies of the OSHA recordkeeping form and the poster are available from local OSHA offices or from the OSHA Publications Office, telephone (202) 219-4667. The OSHA poster will also be available shortly on OSHA's Internet site at http://www.osha.gov/ under "Publications."