ABSTRACT
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 requires employers to maintain records of occupational injuries and illnesses as necessary or appropriate for enforcement of the Act. All the records of all occupational injuries and illnesses shall be maintained for 5 years, following the end of the year to which they relate. Computing incidence rates show the equivalent number of injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time employees. Always remember that past performance is the best guide to improve our safety and health program. Reviewing our records may help to identify characteristics common to several cases. The basic policy for many years has been to schedule an inspection of those industries and establishments that show the greatest number of injuries. Also, record-keeping and statistical information can be very useful to help us determine which work group is achieving good safety records.
