A new federal rule will require high-hazard industries, such as nursing care facilities and hospitals, to publicly report data about workplace injuries and illnesses — information that has typically been logged for private use, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Here are seven things to know about the rule.
1. The rule was issued Wednesday by the Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
2. Under the rule, tens of thousands of employers in high-hazard industries will have to submit electronically to OSHA injury and illness information they have already been required to collect, according to the report. Aside from nursing care facilities and hospitals, high-hazard industries also include construction, manufacturing and grocery stores.
3. The report notes OSHA inspectors may have seen some of this information occasionally, but most of it wasn't typically reported to the agency. Now, OSHA will post it publicly online.
4. The rule will also prohibit workplace programs that discourage employees from reporting an injury or illness, according to The Wall Street Journal. Regulators, however, did not specify which programs will be unacceptable and said that will be determined on a case-by-case basis, the report states.
5. The rule has drawn mixed reactions. According to The Wall Street Journal, regulators contend making the information public will help curb the number of workplace injuries and illnesses, while employer groups argue the rule will reveal sensitive information that can be taken out of context and damage employers' brands without a significant benefit to safety.
6. OSHA contends it would remove any personally identifiable employee information from the data it posts online, but business groups are skeptical about possible glitches.
7. Part of the new requirements take effect Aug. 10, and the rest will be phased in over two years. How all the information will be sorted and displayed online remains unclear, according to the report.
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