ABSTRACT

Since January 1 2004, OSHA requires employers to record workplace injuries and illness on the OSHA form 300, which was revised to exclude a specific column for recording MSDs. The OSHA 200 form included column 7(f) “disorders associated with repeated trauma,” which was used to record MSDs. MSDs are now classified as “injury” or “all other illness.” This recordkeeping change has been controversial with some arguing that it will serve to obscure or underestimate the actual number of MSDs, but it does not affect an employer’s obligation to record them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) advises that due to this change and some other minor recordkeeping modifications, such as using calendar instead of work days to count lost time injuries and illnesses, estimates of total injuries and illnesses obtained from its annual survey cannot be compared with those from previous years. However, the BLS annual survey, which is a sample of OSHA 300 logs, has a secondary level in which employers are asked to submit detailed information pertaining to selected injuries and illnesses. BLS uses its own criteria for classifying these selected cases, so MSDs meeting the BLS criteria will be accurately compiled no matter how they were recorded on the OSHA 300 form.