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Are You Ready for Recordkeeping? Last Hurdle To Implementation Removed

Dec. 2, 2016
U.S. District Court Judge Sam Lindsay of the Northern District of Texas Dallas Division has ruled against plaintiffs TEXO ABC/AGC Inc., Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., the National Association of Manufacturers, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Great American Insurance Co., Atlantic Precast Concrete Inc., Owen Steel Co.

U.S. District Court Judge Sam Lindsay of the Northern District of Texas Dallas Division has ruled against plaintiffs TEXO ABC/AGC Inc., Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., the National Association of Manufacturers, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Great American Insurance Co., Atlantic Precast Concrete Inc., Owen Steel Co. and Oxford Property Management LLC in a case requesting a preliminary injunction challenging OSHA’s “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” final rule and specifically, two aspects of the rule: post-injury drug testing and incentive programs. The rule’s anti-retaliation provisions will go into effect on Dec. 1, with the reporting requirements taking effect Jan. 1.  

Lindsay, ruling in the case of TEXO ABC/AGC Inc. et al versus Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor, et al, reminded the plaintiffs that “…Courts must keep in mind that a preliminary injunction is a ‘drastic remedy’ that ‘should not be granted unless the movant, by a clear showing, carries the burden of persuasion.’” He further stated that, “Plaintiffs have failed to carry their burden in demonstrating that there is substantial threat that irreparable harm will result or that the public interest will not be disserved if a preliminary injunction is granted to enjoin implementation of the rule pending resolution of this action.”

In an exclusive interview with EHS Today, attorney Edwin Foulke, a former Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, noted that Lindsay’s decision “wasn’t unprecedented.”

“It’s hard for any party to show irreparable harm when the standard hasn’t been enforced yet,” says Foulke. “It’s not impossible, but it’s a very high burden of proof.”

Drug Testing Injured Employees

According to OSHA’s interpretation of the revised recordkeeping rule, “drug-testing policies should limit post-incident testing to situations in which employee drug use is likely to have contributed to the incident, and for which the drug test can accurately identify impairment caused by drug use.” As an example, OSHA points out that it would “not be reasonable” to drug test an employee who reports an allergic reaction to a bee sting. More controversial was OSHA’s contention that it would not be reasonable to drug test an employee reporting a repetitive strain injury or an injury caused by a lack of machine guarding or a machine or tool malfunction.

“An ergonomic injury could be the result of repetitive motion or it could be the result of a sudden incident and improper lifting, which could be related to impairment,” says Foulke.

The rule, he adds, is very narrow in scope. It only looks at post-injury drug testing. It does not impact pre-employment drug testing and it does not impact random drug testing. “If you have an employee who drives for work and gets into an accident but who is not injured, you can still drug test for that,” says Foulke.

OSHA says that employers “need not specifically suspect drug use before testing, but there should be a reasonable possibility that drug use by the reporting employee was a contributing factor to the reported injury or illness in order for an employer to require drug testing.”

Foulke recommends that employers examine their policies related to automatic post-accident drug testing when there’s an injury. “OSHA’s asking you as an employer to have a business reason for doing that,” says Foulke.

He suggests that employers include language indicating that post-accident testing will be conducted when there’s an injury if there is a “reasonable suspicion” that the injury could be related to drug or alcohol use. He also suggests that employers provide training for supervisors and managers in recognizing the signs of impairment from drugs or alcohol.

Another no-no according to Foulke: Requiring injuries to be reported "immediately."

“Ninety percent of companies require the immediate reporting of injuries. I suggest they take the word ‘immediate’ out of their policies and replace it with ‘as soon as reasonably possible,’” says Foulke.

A recent case illustrates Foulke’s point about changing the language in reporting policies. In July 2016, OSHA settled a case with U.S. Steel in which the employer in 2014 disciplined two employees for violating the company’s immediate reporting policy for injuries. The purpose of the policy is to ensure injuries are reported in a timely manner. The employees claimed they were not aware of the immediate severity of their injuries, which is why they didn’t report them when they occurred. OSHA claimed the policy punished the workers for reporting injuries, a violation of whistleblower statutes.

“Changing the language creates a safe harbor for employers,” says Foulke.

Incentive Programs

The preamble to the recordkeeping rule states: “It is a violation… for an employer to take adverse action against an employee for reporting a work-related injury or illness, whether or not such adverse action was part of an incentive program. Therefore, it is a violation for an employer to use an incentive program to take adverse action, including denying a benefit, because an employee reports a work-related injury or illness.”

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EHS Today is an IndustryWeek companion site within Penton's Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group.


 

About the Author

Sandy Smith | Editor-in-Chief

Sandy Smith is editor-in-chief of EHS Today, a Penton publication. She has been writing about occupational safety and health and environmental issues since 1990. She has been interviewed about occupational safety and health for documentaries and television programs, has served as a panelist on roundtables, has provided the keynote address for occupational safety and health conferences and has won national and international awards for her articles.

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