U.S. Steel Corp has agreed to change its reporting requirements for workplace injuries, after the U.S. Department of Labor filed a lawsuit charging that a rule requiring its employees to report workplace injuries immediately was unrealistic and discouraged reporting.
According to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the company has agreed to language allowing workers to report injuries after they are aware of them.
The United Steelworkers Union had filed a complaint over the policy on behalf of workers at sites in Pennsylvania and Ohio who were suspended without pay for not immediately reporting their injuries. The workers charged that they did not realize they were injured until days later, when they experienced pain and other symptoms.
The company made the change as part of a settlement with the Department of Labor, which sued U.S. Steel in February over the policy, and the United Steelworkers union, which filed a complaint over workers who were suspended without pay for not immediately reporting they had been hurt on the job.
The Pittsburgh-based steel producer confirmed the settlement Wednesday, but spokeswoman Sarah Cassella declined to comment. Labor Department officials could not be reached for comment.
OSHA has proposed changes in its injury and illness reporting rule that would require employers to be more forthcoming about employees’ right to report workplace injuries and encourage reporting without fear of repercussions.
