Q: How do I contact the Quality, Metrics and Statistics Division?
A: The Indiana Department of Labor’s Quality, Metrics and Statistics Division may be contacted by:
- Email: stats@dol.in.gov
- Telephone: (317) 232-2668
- Fax: (317) 233-3790
Q: Why must I complete the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses?
A: Employers chosen to participate in the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses are required by law (Public Law 91-596) to complete the survey in order to help make a better, safer workplace for all Hoosiers by collecting data on workplace injuries.
Q: What is the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses?
A: The Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is designed to provide an estimate of the number of work-related injuries and illnesses and a measure of the rate at which they occur. For more serious cases, those that involve one or more days away from work for the injured or ill employee, the respondent employer is asked to provide a description of the injury or illness (case characteristic) as well as a profile of the affected worker (demographic profile). The data is published on both a state and a national level. Data is used by policy makers in the business community.
Q: What is the information used for that I report on the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses?
A: The data collected on the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) is published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on both a state and a national level. The data is used by policy makers in the business community as well as by government agencies and private individuals to define the nature and scope of job safety and health programs. Employers and others use the data to measure the effectiveness of their internal safety programs by comparing individual establishment injury and illness incidence rates with state and national incidence rates for their particular industry.
Q: Why was my company chosen to complete the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses?
A: Companies are chosen on a random sampling basis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to complete the survey. Many larger companies may be chosen every year or more frequently to complete the survey. Smaller companies may only be chosen every few years to complete the survey.
Q: Why must I complete the OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Data Collection Form if I already completed the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses?
A: The OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Data Collection Form is a separate survey that is conducted by OSHA. If your company is chosen to participate in the OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Data Collection Form, you are required by law (Public Law 91-596) to complete the survey. More information is available concerning this statute here.
Q: How is the information that I report on the OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Data Collection Form used?
A: The information that is reported on the OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Data Collection Form is used by OSHA as a basis for targeting intervention programs and to measure the success of Agency efforts to help reduce the number of workplace injuries and illnesses in select high-hazard industries.
Q: Why was my company chosen to complete the OSHA Work-Related Injury and Illness Data Collection Form?
A: Companies that fall under the jurisdiction of OSHA are chosen on a random sampling basis by OSHA to complete the data collection form. Companies that fail to respond to the data collection form and companies that have high injury/illness rates are likely to receive the data collection form every year.
Q: When recording injuries/illnesses on OSHA Form 300 (the OSHA Log), how do I record an injury where the employee has days away from work (DAFW) and days of job transfer or restriction (DJTR)?
A: When an employee is injured and has both DAFW and DJTR, employers should only check off column H (case with days away from work) but must also record the number of DAFW in column K and the number of DJTR in column L. However, employers should only report the injury once and if columns H or I are checked, the injury is counted twice. When classifying the case on the Form 300, there is a notation indicating to check only one box for each case based on the most serious outcome for that case. OSHA considers injuries with even one day away from work more serious than an injury with job transfer or restriction.
Q: Where can I find information on how many work-related fatalities occurred in Indiana?
A: Information pertaining to occupational-related fatalities is available online here.
Q: Where can I find current information on how many work-related injuries/illnesses occurred in Indiana?
A: Information pertaining to occupational-related injuries and illnesses is available online here.
Q: Why are occupational injury, illness and fatality reports always a year behind?
A: In order to best capture and represent occupational injury, illness and fatality data for the entire year, it is collected the following year. Once collected, data is analyzed at both the state and federal level to publish the report. Fatality data for the preceding year is usually available in late August, while injury and illness data is published in mid to late October.
Q: Do I have to keep track of injuries for temporary agency employees that are working at my facility?
A: Yes, if you are in direct supervision of those temporary employees, they must be included on your OSHA records.
Q: When counting the number of days away from work or number of days of job transfer or restriction, do I include the day of injury as a partial day?
A: No, the employees must be off work a full day other than the day of injury for it to be counted as a day away.
Q: When counting the number of days away from work or the number of days of job transfer or restriction, do I include weekends even if the employee does not normally work weekends?
A: Yes, you must count all days including weekends from the starting day off until the day the employee returns to work. For example, if an employee was off work for a full 2 weeks, the number of days away would be 14 days.
Q: How do I record an injury when the injury occurred in one year but the employee did not have days away from work or days of job transfer or restriction until the following year?
A: The injury must be recorded only one time, in the year that it occurred. If an employee misses days in the following year due to that injury, then you must update the records of the previous year to include those days.
Q: How do I account for lost days for an injury that occurs in one year and the lost days continue to carry over into the next year?
A: As mentioned above, the injury must be recorded in the year it occurs. If the days carry over into the next year, you must adjust the days for the previous year to include those days.
Q: How do I tell if an injury is considered first aid only treatment?
A: Please see OSHA’s definition of First Aid Injury here: http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/index.html#firstaid.
Q: Do I need to record an injury that is considered first aid only on my OSHA Log?
A: No, the only injuries that need to be recorded on the log are injuries where death occurred, the employee had days away from work or days of job transfer or restriction or the employee received medical treatment more than first aid (i.e. stitches, prescriptions, etc.) for their injury and promptly returned to work with no lost time.
Q: If an employee is injured at work and goes to a medical facility to be checked out but receives no actual medical treatment and returns to work, does the injury count as an “other recordable case” in column J on the OSHA log?
A: No, an injury of this nature would not be considered OSHA recordable since the employee did not receive any medical treatment for the injury.
Q: Where can I find additional information on all of my OSHA record-keeping questions?
A: You can find comprehensive information on all record-keeping questions on the OSHA website by clicking here. There is also a presentation about OSHA record-keeping requirements on the Indiana Department of Labor’s located here.
Q: Does the Indiana Department of Labor offer training classes on OSHA recordkeeping?
A: You can check on training classes that are being offered by contacting our INSafe Division by:
- Email: insafe@dol.in.gov
- Phone: (317) 232-2688
- Fax: (317) 233-1868