New Federal Injury Recordkeeping Rule to Affect Maine Employers on Jan. 1, 2015

November 7, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT: Julie Rabinowitz, Department of Labor, 207-621-5009; cell: 557-1483

Maine Department of Labor offering courses to help businesses stay up-to-date

AUGUSTA?The Maine Department of Labor has scheduled additional trainings to help employers comply with changes to federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) injury recordkeeping requirements.

?Our Administration continues to be proactive in helping employers comply with the law,? said Governor Paul R. LePage. ?The department?s SafetyWorks! program provides services and training sessions at no charge to our businesses in the areas of workplace safety and health. These recordkeeping courses will help employers stay on top of the new federal rules.?

Several changes in federal OSHA rules will take effect Jan. 1, 2015; some changes affect all private-sector employers while other changes affect certain industries. OSHA has provided details about the rules changes at https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.showdocument?ptable=NEWSRELEASES&pid=26673 .

To educate employers, the department?s SafetyWorks! program has scheduled three additional, no-charge classes on OSHA recordkeeping: Nov. 17, Dec. 8 and Dec. 16. All three classes run from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The classes on Nov. 17 and Dec. 8 will be held in Augusta at the SafetyWorks! Training Institute. The class on Dec. 16 will be held at the City of Westbrook?s public safety building.

Employers interested in registering can learn more and register at http://www.safetyworksmaine.com or call 207-623-7900 to enroll. Space is limited so reservations are required.

In addition to the classes, SafetyWorks! may be able to provide your organization or business with a one-hour overview on these updates. Contact 207-623-7903 for more information.

There are three major changes. First, new rules for reporting catastrophic events are applicable to all private-sector worksites. Specific rules on reporting fatalities, amputations and in-patient hospitalizations will go into effect January 1. An OSHA fact sheet detailing how to report catastrophic events is available at https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014/OSHA3745.pdf .

Second, OSHA has changed the list of businesses required to follow the OSHA recordkeeping rules and maintain the OSHA recordkeeping forms (the 300, the 300A and the 301 forms). New and used car dealers with 11 or more employees (NAICS codes 441110 and 441120) are the largest group of employers affected by this change, with about 4,000 employees in Maine covered by the revised recordkeeping rules.

Third, some businesses have been newly exempted from OSHA recordkeeping rules. Among these are combination gasoline stations and convenience stores (NAICS 447110), all publishers (NAICS 5111) and all corporate sales and headquarters offices (NAICS 551114). A complete list of private-sector businesses ordinarily exempt from recordkeeping is available at https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014/OSHA3746.pdf .

SafetyWorks! is not OSHA and cannot issue fines or citations to private businesses. While SafetyWorks! helps businesses of any size, priority is given to small businesses. The program trains about 8,000 people and consults at nearly 1,000 worksites in Maine each year. Employers interested in learning more about the consulting and training services offered by SafetyWorks! should call 1-877-SAFE 345 (1-877-723-3345) or visit http://www.safetyworksmaine.com .

The Bureau of Labor Standards is Maine?s regulatory agency overseeing labor and employment law and workplace safety; it provides both consultation and enforcement services. The division promotes and achieves compliance with labor standards to protect and enhance the welfare of Maine?s workforce.

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