Do you tend to forget about your Cal/OSHA injury and illness logs until the last week of December? There are a number of reasons people get behind on recordkeeping, but keeping up on your logs is important. Falling behind on your recordkeeping can land your workplace in a great deal of hot water.

Here are some of the common reasons people get behind, and some tips for staying on top of things.

Cal/OSHA's on the lookout not just for nonreporting employers, but also for under-reporting employers. Are you one of them? Join us on June 23 for an in-depth 90-minute webinar that will help ensure you're in compliance with the Cal/OSHA recordkeeping standard.

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1. Getting lost in the moment: When an injury occurs, everyone's focus is on getting treatment to the injured worker (and rightfully so). When things calm down, the first thing that comes to mind is getting everyone working again—and any thought of the recordkeeping that needs to be done gets lost, and often stays lost.

One way to ensure you do the necessary recordkeeping in a timely fashion is to give yourself a reminder. It doesn't have to be complicated—a sticky note that's in your face until you get the job done can be sufficient.

2. Letting the tricky issues stew: When an issue about an injury or illness is unclear (for example, is it really recordable?), people tend to set it aside until they have time to figure out the answer. But oftentimes that block of free time never arrives, and the issue languishes.

To help prevent this, periodically compare accident investigations and workers' comp cases against your injury and illness logs. Are all the cases that should appear on the log actually there?

3. It's everyone's responsibility—and no one's: Injury and illness recordkeeping does take time, but spreading the work among a number of people is generally not a good idea. The more people you have responsible for actual completion of the Cal/OSHA logs (as compared to providing someone with the information to complete the log), the more likely they are to be filled out sporadically and incorrectly. It's best to have one person serve as the gatekeeper of your Cal/OSHA logs.

4. Only one person knew about injury and illness recordkeeping—and she lives in Tahiti now: While a single person should be the gatekeeper of your Cal/OSHA logs, it's not a good idea to have everyone else in the dark about the recordkeeping requirements—which remain even if that person leaves your company.

While a single person should be responsible for handling the mechanics of actually filling out the logs, other personnel, especially supervisors, should have a working knowledge of when an injury or illness must be recorded. This will help to ensure continuity if your primary person leaves, as well as facilitate improved recordkeeping in general.

Cal/OSHA Recordkeeping: 5 Key Concepts that Keep You in Compliance and Improve Your Safety Record

Last fall, federal OSHA launched a national emphasis program (NEP) on safety recordkeeping designed to enforce regulatory requirements—they're looking for employers who are underreporting injuries and illnesses. They've got their fine-toothed combs out, and now is the precisely the right time to get your recordkeeping in order.

In addition to helping you avoid costly Cal/OSHA citations, smart recordkeeping practices can also help you reduce injuries and boost profits by learning from past mistakes. You'll also discover how to nip potential PR nightmares in the bud--before a disgruntled employee goes to Cal/OSHA or the press.

Join us on June 23 for an in-depth 90-minute webinar designed to help you track and record injuries and illnesses in compliance with the Cal/OSHA recordkeeping standard. Bring your managers along as we walk you through the key elements of an effective recordkeeping program. You'll learn:

• What to expect from the new focus on recordkeeping
• How to decipher the Cal/OSHA recordkeeping standard, and what you need to do to be in compliance
• The distinctions between Cal/OSHA Log Form 300, Cal/OSHA Form 301, and Cal/OSHA Form 300A, and how to use and complete them properly
• 5 key recordkeeping concepts to guide your document preparations
• 4 steps to determine Cal/OSHA recordability
• Which incidents must be reported—and by when—and which merely need to be recorded
• How to perform a recordkeeping audit and assess the working environment
• How to differentiate between medical treatment and first aid, and why the distinction matters
• How to apply smart recordkeeping strategies to a series of real-life cases
• Some of the frequently misunderstood terms in recordkeeping

Register now »

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