bake - February 2014 - 10

labor front

IBA's Top 10
On November 7, 2013, the Occupational Safety & Health

and illnesses, the action of the employee at time of the incident

Administration (OSHA) proposed a rule to improve tracking of

and the number of similar incidents. The Independent Bakers

workplace injuries and illnesses. The proposal requires busi-

Association (IBA) drafted formal comments for submission and

nesses to submit injury and illness data quarterly via a new

encouraged its members to share their opinions and concerns.

website, which the public and employee representatives can

The IBA presented its top 10 reasons why the proposal should

access. The website will display a company's reported injuries

be tabled, using a David Letterman-Late Show format.

NUMBER 10

NUMBER 5

NO CHANGE or improvement in employer recording of

SECURITY - Electronic reporting may present special

injuries and illnesses. The proposal does not modify the

difficulties for defense contractors, research entities and

employer obligation and how they keep records, it only

others that protect and safeguard their data systems.

creates an obligation to transmit these records every

Alternative ways should be established for these and

three months to OSHA.

others with data safeguards to submit secure information.

NUMBER 9

NUMBER 4

BIGGER GOVERNMENT - This proposal will require OSHA

HIPPA -The Health Insurance Portability and

to devote new manpower and resources to compliance

Accountability Act of 1996 creates a privacy standard for

assistance and enforcement of collection of quarterly

individuals. Public reporting of Single incident injury and

submissions from current and another approximately

illness could open up employers to claims of HIPPA viola-

260,000 new ﬁlers of data under the rule.

tions by employees.

NUMBER 8

NUMBER 3

ONE SIDED - Employers may only submit incidences of

REPUTATION - Public reporting without details on

injury or illness in the workplace and nothing on cost or

speciﬁc cause or fault for the injury or illness could

efforts toward remedy and remediation. The proposal

damage the employer or business reputation by opening

fails to allow employers to show they are achieving actual

it up to attacks by outside entities.

workplace improvements in management attitudes, individual worker training habits and real accident experience.

NUMBER 2
PROPRIETARY INFORMATION showing hours worked at

NUMBER 7

a facility is business conﬁdential information, and there is

UNFAIR BLAME - The public reporting requirement

concern with the government's ability to protect conﬁden-

creates an unfair impression that the employer is at

tial information and employee privacy within the scope of

fault or blame for the injury or illness in cases where

what is recordable or reportable.

the employee did not correctly follow proper training
procedures.

NUMBER 1
$11.9 MILLION DOLLARS - OSHA estimates that this

NUMBER 6

rule will have economic costs of $11.9 million per year,

ACCURACY - The raw data provided by employers once

including $10.5 million per year to the private sector, with

open to public dissemination may be subjected to expen-

costs of $183 per year for affected establishments with

sive time consuming demands by outside unaffected

250 or more employees and $9 per year for affected

entities for OSHA auditing and compliance investigation

establishments with 20 or more employees in designated

to ensure accuracy.

industries. SOURCE: INDEPENDENT BAKERS ASSOCIATION

10 < FEB 2014 | bakemag.com
http://www.bakemag.com
bake - February 2014

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