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FILE NAME: Shipbuilders Council of America (SHIP) DATE: 1970 Sept 28 DOC#: SHIP065 DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION: Letter from US Dept of Labor to American National Standards Institute RE Report of Study Group on Reporting Work Injuries Nationwide U .S. DEPARTM ENT OF LABOR B u reau of L abor S ta tistic s W ashington, D. C. 20212 Septem ber 28, 1970 M r. Francis L. LaQue, President A m erican National Standards Institute 1430 B roadw ay ' New Y ork, New Y ork 10018 D ear Mr. LaQue: I am pleased to subm it to you the re p o rt of the Study G roup on R eporting W ork In juries on a Nationwide B asis, w hich you appointed in Jan u ary of this y e a r. We have p rep a red a proposed N ational S ystem for U niform Recording and Reporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, reflect ing the consensus of the study group. It is en clo sed as Exhibit I, together w ith a re p o rt on our w ork as Exhibit II. fhe study group has completed its fo rm al assignm ent and should be discharged. In a v ery re a l se n se , how ever, the w o rk of the study group has ju st begun. D ep artu res from long-established m odes of thought are sug--- gested and a new m ethod of m easu rin g occupational safety and health pro p o sed . We reco g n ize th at th e re a re c o n tro v e rs ia l asp e c ts to the proposal. A thorough review by those with an in te re st in the subject is re q u ire d . The study g roup did not c le a r o ur p ro p o sa l w ith the groups fro m w hich we cam e or w ith o th e rs. It is recognized that the system needs testing in use. Gn behalf of the m e m b e rs of the study group and those we invited to consult with us, I thank you for the opportunity to participate in this useful and im portant work. , Yours m ost sincerely, M aurice F. Bresnahan Study Group C hairm an E n c lo su re s PLAINTIFF'S E EXHIBIT | j SBCA 5074 --------------- -- ,-- a V Proposed National System for Uniform R ecording and R eporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses CONTENTS 1. I n t r o d u c t i o n ----------------------------------------------------------------------2. D e f i n i t i o n s -------------------- --------- -------------- ---------------------------- 3. 1 O c c u p a t i o n a l I n j u r y a n d I l l n e s s R e c o r d s ---------------------- 3. 2 A n n u a l R e p o r t ------------------ -------- ------- --------- ------------------ 3. 2. 2 I n s t r u c t i o n s f o r C o m p l e t i n g A n n u a l R e p o r t ------------ 4 . C a t e g o r i e s of R e p o r t a b l e O c c u p a t i o n a l I l l n e s s e s '------------ 5. D o g ------------ ------------------------------------ 6. A n n u a l S u m m a r y ------ ' -------------------------------------------------- - 7. R e p o rtin g jViethod ------------------------------------ C. D a ta O u tp u t of th e S y s t e m ------------ Page 1 1 '3 3 5 8 10 1C 12 12 EXHI3I r I PROPOSED NA TIC NAD S Y S T E M FOR UNIFORM RECORDING AND REPORTING OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES August 21, 1970 Proposed National System for Uniform Recording and R eporting of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses 1. Introduction The National System proposed h erein is designed to provide an annual profile on the num bers of occupational in ju ries and illn esses occurring in the A m erican w ork place. The m easu rem en t will provide in d ic a to rs as to w here occupational safety and health p ro b lem s exist and can be used as a guide for those resp o n sib le for the prevention of future occupational fatalities, in ju ries and illn e sse s. 2. Definitions In this re p o rtin g sy ste m the following definitions sh all apply: 2. 1 A R eportable O ccupational In ju ry or Illn ess is any d isab ility or perm anent im p airm en t to an em ployee which re su lts fro m any exposure in the w ork environm ent that eith er: 1. R esu lts in death; o r 2. P r e v e n ts the e m p lo y ee f r o m p e rfo rm in g h is n o r m a l a s s ig n m ent during his next reg u lar or subsequent w ork day or shift; or - . 3. R equires 2 o r m o re visits to a physician. 2 .2 An O ccupational Injury is any injury such as a cut, fra c tu re , sprain, am putation, e tc ,, which resu lts fro m a w ork accident. 2. 3 An O ccupational Illn ess of an em ployee is any abnorm al , p h y sical condition or d is o rd e r, o th er th an one re s u ltin g fro m an occupational injury, caused by exposure to environm ental factors associated with his em ploym ent. It includes acute and chronic illn esses or d iseases which m ay be caused by inhalation, absorption, ingestion or d irect contact and which can be included in categ o ries 1 through 7 listed in Section 4. ^ C lassification of R eportable O ccupational Injuries or Illnesses The following classifications shall apply to rep o rtab le occu pational injuries or illn esses: 1. F a t a l i t i e s : I n j u r i e s an d i l l n e s s e s t h a t r e s u l t in th e d e a th of any em ployee re g a rd le s s of the tim e betw een the injury or the diagnosis of illn e ss and death. - 2- 2. L ost Tim e C ases: Injuries and illn e sse s other than fatalities that prevent the em ployee fro m p erform ing his norm al assig n m ent during any p art of the next re g u la r o r any subsequent w ork day or shift. * 3. T w o-V isit P h y sician T reatm en t C ases: Injury and illn esses, other than fatalities and lost tim e cases, that require 2 or m o re v isits to a physician, 2.5 O ccupational Injury and Illness R ecords. A recording of each reportable occupational injury (including fatality) and illness is required of ev ery em ployer covered by the reporting system . 2.6 Annual S um m ary is a com pilation of the to ta l num ber of reportable occupational injuries and illn esses (including fatalities) by classification for posting by em ployers in a m anner accessible to the em ployees. 2.7 Annual R eport is a report of occupational injury and illness data that is to be com pleted and subm itted upon the request of the S e c re ta ry of L ab o r. 2. 8 W ork P a y s L o s t. The a c tu a l n u m b e r of d ays the em p lo y ee would have w orked but could not becau se of an occupational injury or illness. 2.9 E stablishm ent. An econom ic unit which produces goods or se rv ic e s, and generally is in one physical location engaged in one econom ic activity. . 10 W o r k E n v i r o n m e n t is c o m p r i s e d of th e p h y s i c a l l o c a t i o n , equipm ent, m a te ria ls p ro cessed or used, and the kinds of operations p erfo rm ed by an em ployee in the perform ance of his work. ** .ft'ian-Ho u r s 'W o r k e d . In th e r e p o r t i n g s y s t e m , m a n - h o u r s w ill be used as the com m on denom inator and is the to tal hours f o r k e d by the em ployees during the re p o rtin g p erio d . To m ake the ra te s m o re m eaningful, they w ill be p resen ted in te rm s of " p e r 100 fu ll-tim e e m p lo y e e s ." * P ccuPa-tional Iniur y and Illn ess R ep o rtin g S y stem -h e u n ifo rm sy ste m of re c o rd in g and re p o rtin g o ccupational in ju ries an illnesses consists of a required Annual R eport F orm , Section 3.^. 1 required Annual Sum m ary, Section Section J. and a suggested Log, - 3- 3. 1 O ccupational Injury and Illness R ecords 3 1, 1 R e c o r d s E ach occupational injury (including fa ta lity ), and illn ess shall be re c o rd ed by ev ery em ployer using his own re c o r d keeping s y ste m , w hich can be a f i r s t r e p o r t of in ju ry or equivalent fo rm . The su g g ested Log of Section 5 can also be used. The reco rd s shall be usee as a source for com pleting the Annual R eport of Section 3. 2 and the Annual Sum . m a r y of S e c tio n 3. E very occupational illness, diagnosed by a physician as in clu d ed in the d efin itio n of S e c tio n 2. 3, and re p o rte d to the em ployer, shall be reco rd ed , provided the e .ite n t' of disability is th a t of one of tne c lasses of Section 2.4. 3.2 Annual R eport. The annual rep o rt which shall be com pleted a n d f i l e d w i t a tn e S e c r e t a r y o f L a b o r , u p o n r e q u e s t , -is t h a t r e p o r t f o r m d e s c r i b e d in S e c tio n 3. 2. 1. 3.2. 1 r Annual Report Form - 4 OCCU PATIO N A L INJURY AND ILLN ESS R E P O R T FOR 1970 Individual establishment repons will only be available for statistical com pilation, inspection services, and consultation services. Information will not be published so that the individual estab lishm ent can be identified or its report ded u ced . I__ Codes T {Please change mailing address if incorrect-- Include postal ZIP code) E stablishm ent name and location _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I. E m p l o y m e n t a n d H o u r s . .(See instructions I.) I . Average number of full- and part-tim e employees (Enter average of year; include all classes of employees) ............... ..................... .............. * -TM ' complete thi* section even though thatt wtra no Injuries.) 2. Total hours worked by all em ployees during entire y e a r......................................... ..---- -- --------------------- . - II. N a t u r e of B u s i n e s s . _____ (See instruction. II.) 3 Principal type of activity of this establishment (i.e., manu facturing, wholesale, retail, construction, hotel, e tc . )*, 4. Enter in order of importance the principal products manufactured, lines of trade, specific services, or other activities. (a) -------------------------------------------( b ) -------------------------------------(e) ..................................................... ........ ( d ) _____________________________ ( e ) ---- P*rr#nl nt tot*! tn n u t) vlu d r ncmlvU, 1970 .............................-- % ---------------- % ---------------- % ---------------- % 5. F o r m an u factu rin g only, indicate: (a) Principal materials used (.?., Aluminum cutiop, mo- ebjnoo parts, m u m b le d parte! rmyon staple, wool r a m . coctan fabric*, In Lhe form brought Into p lant; da not Hat * tarlal* produced la ihift plant.) (6) General types of operations performed (e.g., foundry, machine shop, assembly; spinning, weaving, sewing. III. R eportable O ccupational In ju ries and Illn e s se s . (See instructions 111.) (a) Occupational Injuries Fatalities (1) Lost T i m e Cases Number Work Days of Cases Lost (2) (3) Two-Visit Physician T reatm ent Cases (4) . * (b) O ccupational Illnesses 1. O ccupational skin diseases or disorders 2. Dust diseases of the lungs (pneum o co nioses) 3. Respiratory conditions due to toxic agents 4. Poisoning (systemic effects of toxic m aterials) 5. Disorders due to physical agents (other th an to x ic m a te ria ls) 6. Disorders due to re p e a tc d trauma 7. All other o ccu p atio n al illnesses Total --occupational illnesses.(1-7) (c) T otal - - O ccupational'Injuries and Illnesses Comments: Report prepared by. Position Date J. 2. 2 In s tru c tio n s for C om pleting the Annual R e p o rt F o r m 3. 2, 2. 1 G e n era l a) This rep o rt is req u ired upon request of the S ecretary of Labor - b) The annual rep o rt period shall be for a calendar year, w ith the re p o rt to be com pleted by Jan u ary 30, the following y ear. E stab lish m en t Name and Location: E n te r the location if different fro m the m ailing a d d re ss and t-ie n a m e, n u m b e r, o r o th e r d e sig n a tio n ' that identifies this establishm ent. 3.2 . 2. 2 Specific Instructions I. Em ploym ent and Hours I te m 1. E m p l o y e e s . - - E n t e r th e a v e r a g e num ber of em ployees for the y ear. Include all classes of em ployees (adm inistrative, supervisory, clerical, professional, tech nical, sales, delivery, installation, con- ~ struction and service personnel, as well as operating and related w orkers) employed full- or p a rt-tim e by this estab lish m en t. To o b tain th is f ig u r e ( a ) add th e n u m b e r of em ployees re p o rte d to your State Unem ploy m ent Insurance Agency for each month and d iv i;e by 12, o r (b ) add the n u m b e r on e a c h payroll during the year and divide by the num ber of su ch p a y ro lls in t.ie y e a r. Item l. ..'Tours,--Enter the total hours w orked by a ll em p lo y ees u u rim t.ie e n tire y e ar. Include all tim e on duty, but exclude vacation, holiday, sick leave, and all ot.ier off-duty tim e, e v e n tu o u 'h p a id f o r . The h o u r s r e p o r t e d s,.ould be obtained fro m payroll or other tim e re c o rd s . If actu al hours of office, s a le s, or o t h e r g r o u p s a r e n o t a v a i l a b l e , th e y m a y Be estim ate d on the b asis of scheduled hours or 8 h o u r s p e r d a y . ( E x a m p l e : If 10 e m p lo y e e s worked 8 hours per day, days a week, for bO w e e k s t h e t o t a l w o u ld b e 10 X 8 X iX b 0 = 2 0 , 000 hours for the year. ) Allowance should be m ade -6 - for overtim e, slack periods, irreg u la r and p art-tim e work, holidays, vacations, and other absences.' F o r standby em ployees such as seam en, firem en, em ergency crew s, e tc ., u s e th e n u m b e r of h o u rs the e m p lo y e e is^ confined to the em p lo y ers p re m is e s , up to 24 h o u rs p e r day. F o r em p lo y e es liv in g on tne p roperty but not confined to it, use the actual hours w orked. Include actual hours w orked by casu al em ployees. - II. M ature of B u sin e ss Under Item 3, indicate the g en eral type of activity, and under item 4 list the specific pro d u cts m an u factu red , lin es of t'rade, s e rv ic e s , or other activities engaged in. Please describe each product or activity fully, (Exam ple: Manu facturing upholstered household furniture, retail men* s s h o e s , auto body r e p a ir , e tc . ) If m o re th an one product or activity is listed, show in the second colum n the ap p ro x im ate p e rc e n t of total annual sales value or receipts derived from each . If engaged in m an u factu rin g , p lease list under 5(a) the principal m a te ria ls used (in the fo rm in which they w ere brought into estab lish - m en t), and under (b) indicate the general types of operations perfo rm ed by this establishm ent, III. R eportable O ccupational Injuries and Illnesses E nter the total num ber of fatal cases, lost tim e cases, and tw o-visit physician treatm ent cases (T hese make up reportable injuries and illnesses^) fo r each of the c la sse s of occupational injuries and illn esses listed. Include all reportable ' injuries and illnesses in cu rred by em ployees of the estab lish m en t during the calen d ar-y ear. If the final ex ten t is not known by the r e p o r t ing date (F e b ru a ry 1 of the following y e ar) use the d o c to r1s b e st estim ate . If y o u a re unable to e s tim a te fin a l extent, give d e ta ils of the c a se in " C o m m e n ts ," F o r lost tim e c a s e s , e n ter the n u m b er of w o rk days lost. If th e r e is none, e n te r "0" in th e box. -7 - c A R eportable O ccupational In ju ry or Illness is any d isability o r p erm an en t im p airm en t to an em ployee which resu lts from any exposure in the w ork environm ent that eith er: ' 1. R esu lts in death; or " 2. P revents the em ployee fro m perform ing his n orm al assignm ent during his next regular or subsequent w ork day or shift; or 3. R equires 2 or m ore v isits to a physician. F atalities; (colum n l) Injuries and illnesses th at re s u lt in the death of any em ployee re g a rd less of the tim e betw een the injury or the diagnosis of illness and death. L o s t T i m e C a s e s : ( c o l u n m 2} I n j u r i e s a n d illn e sse s other th an fata litie s -that prevent the em ployee from perform ing his norm al assign m en t during any p a rt of the next regular' o r any subsequent w ork day or shift. - Note: L ost T im e re fe rs to the inability to p e rfo rm the norm ally assigned job and sh all be counted even though the em ployee is tem p o rarily placed on a different job. W ork Days L ost: (colum n 3) The actual num ber of days the em ployee would have w orked but could not because of an occupational injury or illness. The total num ber of days lost does not include the day of the injury (o r the fir s t day of inability to p e r f o r m the n o r m a l a s s ig n m e n t b e c a u se of illn e s s ); nor the day of re tu rn to fu ll-tim e w ork at the n o rm al assignm ent; and also excludes days on v/hich no re g u la r w ork was scheduled for this em ployee. It does include as Lost Tim e all w ork days lost until the employee re tu rn s to his fo rm e r o r a new perm anently assigned job. - 8 - F o r em ployees not having a regularly sched uled shift, i,, e ., certain tru ck d riv e rs, ' construction w orkers, longshorem en, farm labor, casual labor, etc. , it m ay be n eces sa ry to estim ate the num ber of w ork days lost. Tw o-V isit P hysician T reatm ent C ase s: {col u m n <i) I n j u r i e s a n d i l l n e s s e s , o t h e r t h a n fatalities and lost tim e cases, that require k or m o re visits to a physician. (a) Occupational Injury An occupational injury is any injury such as a cut, fractu re, sprain, am putation, etc. , which resu lts from a work accident, ( b) Occupational Illnesses ie c a u se occupational illnesses are rarely attributable to a specific incident, they should be rep o rted in the year in which ~ the illn ess was firs t diagnosed and reported to the em ployer. ' - F or this rep o rt, an occupational illness of an em ployee is any ab norm al physical condition or d iso rd e r, other than one ,, resulting from an occupational injury, caused by enposure to environm ental factors associated with his em ploym ent. It includes acute and chronic illnesses or d ise a se s w hich m ay be caused by inhalation, absorption, ingestion or direct contact and which can be included in categories 1 through 7 listed in Cection 4, C ategories of Feportable O ccupational Illn esses The following listin g gives the c ate g o rie s of occupational illn esses and d iso rd ers that w ill be utilized for the purpose of classifying reportable illn e sse s. F o r purposes of inform ation, exam ples of each catgory a re given. These a re ty p ical e x am p les, h o w ev er, and a re not to be c o n sid e re d to be the ex clu siv e listin g of the ty p es of illn e s s e s and d iso ru e rs that are to be counted under each category. ~ } - 1. O C C U P A T IO N A L SKIN L I5E A S Z S OR D IS C E L Z R S E xam ples: Contact derm atitis, eczem a, or rash caused by prim ary irritan ts and sen sitizers or poisonous plants; oil acne; chrom e ulcers; chem ical burns or inflam m ations; etc. t . DUS r D ISE A SE S O.F THE LUNGS (P n e u m o c o n io s e s ) E xam ples: Silicosis, asbestosis, coal w orker1s pneum oconiosis, byssinosis, and other pneum oconioses. - 3. RESPIRATORY CCNEITIGNS DUE TO TGEIC A CENTS Example a : Pneum onitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis or acute congestion due to c h em icals, d u sts, g a se s, or fum es; fa rm e r1s lung; etc. 4. POISONING (S ystem ic Effects of Toxic M aterials) E xam ples: Poisoning by lead, m ercury, cadm ium , arsenic, or other m etals; poisoning by carbon m onoxide, hydrogen sulfide or other gases; poisoning by benzol, carbon tetrachloride, or other organic solvents; poisoning by insecticide sprays such as parathion, lead arsen ate; poisoning by other chem icals such as form aldehyde, plastics and resin s; etc. -x L I S C R L E E S j^U E T O P H Y S IC A L A C E N T S ( C t h e r t h a n Toxic M aterials) ' E x a m p le s: L eat strobe, sunstroke, heat exhaustion and other effects of e n v iro n m e n ta l heat; free zin g , fro stb ite and effects of ex p o su re to low te m p e ra tu re s ; c a isso n d ise a se ; effects of ionizing radiation (isotopes, x -ra y s, rad iu m ); effects of non-ionizing radiation (welding flash, u ltra-v io let ray s, m icrow aves, sunburn); etc. o. LIS GF, L E E S L U E TC R E P E A T E R TR AUM A E xam ples: N oise-induced hearing loss; synovitis, tenosynovitis, and b u rsitis; R aynaud1s phenom ena; and other conditions due to repeated motion, vibration or p ressu re. 7. A LL CTREE OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESSES E xam ples: A nthrax, brucellosis, infectious hepatitis, malignant and benign tu m o rs, food poisoning, h isto p lasm o sis, coccidioido m ycosis, etc. \ 5. 1 Log of R eportable. O ccupational In ju rie s and Illn e sse s (R e d u c e d ] Case Employee's Name Date of Class of N u m b e r (a n d O c c u p a t i o n a t T i m e of Injury' In ju ry 1_ In ju ry or Illness 2/ . 1 Brief Description of Injury or Illness .... Extent of Injury or Illness (Count each case in only one of these classes of extent. 1 Fatalities N on -F atal Lost T i m e Cases N o n -F a ta i C ase s R e q u irin g D a te of D a te of Work-Days Physician Visits Only (No D eath R etu rn to. Lost From Days Lost From P e r m a n e n t Job) P e r m a n e n t lob P e rm a n e n t lob First'V isit D a te S e c o n d Visit D a te * 1 \ j For o cc u p atio n a l illness, d ate of first day of absence in c o n n e c tio n w ith w hich it was diagnosed as an o c cu p a tio n a l illness and reported to the em ployer. 2 / E n te r o n e of th es e co des: A, O c c u p a ti o n a l in ju ries; B, O c c u p a t i o n a l sh in dis e a se s or disorders; C, Dust d iseases of the lungs (p neu m o co n io se s); D, R e s p ir a to ry conditioD d due to to x i c agents; E, Poisoning (S y s te m ic e ff e c ts of ttixic m a t e r i a l s ) ; F, D isorders due to p h y s i c a l a g e n ts (o th er th a n to x ic m a t e r i a ls ) ; G, D isorders due'Co r e p e a t e d t r a u m a ; PI, All o th e r o c c u p a t i o n a l illnesses. E x a m p le s a p p e a r In S e c tio n 4. i N ote: M ain ten an ce of this log is intended only as an aid to a c c u ra te c o m p le tio n of the annual sum m ary. V - 12 - 6. Annual Sum m ary An annual su m m ary sim ila r to Section 6. 1 shall be com pleted and p o s t e d in th e e m p l o y e r s e s t a b l i s h m e n t b y F e b r u a r y 15 of the f o l l o w ' ing year, in a m anner accessible to the em ployees. The posted su m m a ry sh all be of sufficient size so as to be e a sily re a d by the em ployees. 7. R eporting Method 7. 1 E sta b lish m en ts req u ired to re p o rt w ill be d eterm in ed by the S e c re ta ry of L a b o r. 7 .2 M ethod of re p o rtin g to be d e term in e d by the S e c re ta ry of L ab o r. 8. Data Output of the S y ste m rhe sy ste m is d esig n ed to pro v id e, for the nation as a whole, e stim a te s of: . The to ta l n u m b e r of re p o rta b le w o rk in ju r ie s and illn e s s e s , the num ber of fata litie s, , the num ber of lost tim e c ase s, , the num ber of w ork days lost, and the num ber of tw o -v isit physician tre a tm e n t c a se s. Also it is designed to provide, for each of th ese, a rate such as the n u m b er of tw o -v is it p h y sician tre a tm e n t c a s e s p e r 100 e m p lo y ees. E ith er an estim ate of the total or a ra te , or both, could be provided for the following; Each State, i n d u s t r y c a t e g o r i e s ( a t o t a l of a b o u t 1, 000 u n d e r th e S t a n d a r d Industrial Classification),- size -o f-esta b lish m en t categ o ries, and occupational injuries and occupational illn esses separately. C ro s s ta b u la tio n s of the above could be p ro v id e d in a la rg e n u m b er of c a s e s . F o r e x am p le the s y s te m m ig h t p ro v id e the to ta l n u m b e r of lo s t tim e c a s e s f r o m o c c u p a tio n a l i l l n e s s in 1971 p e r 100 em ployees in M assachusetts chem ical m anufacturing establishm ents w ith fro m 20 to 100 e m p lo y e e s. Individual estab lish m en t totals w ill be available for co m parison to any of the a g g re g a te fig u re s o r r a t e s . 1 b . 1 A N N U A L S U M M A R Y - 1'970 OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES XYZ MANUFACTURING COMPANY P L A N T No. 13 III. R eportable O ccupational Injuries and Illn e sse s (See in stru ctio n s III. ) F a ta litie s ' Lost time cases Num ber Work days of cases lost Two - viifc P hys ic ian tr e a tm c nt cases (a) Occupational Injuries (b) Occupational Illn esses t 1. O c c u p a t i o n a l s k i n d i s e a s e s o r d i s o r d e r s 2. Dust d ise a se s of the lungs (p n eu m o co n io ses) 3. R e s p ir a to r y co n d itio n s due to toxic a g e n ts 4. P oisonin g ( s y s te m ic e ffects of toxic m a t e r i a l s ) 5. D iso rd ers due to physical agents (o th e r than toxic m a te ria ls) 6. D isorders due to repeated traum a 7. All other occupational illn esses Total -- occupational illnesses (1-7) (c) Total -- O ccupational Injuries and Illn esses i 1f _____________---1------------------ -- i ! r Exhibit II - R e p o r t to the A m erican National Standards Institute fro m the Study Group on a National System for Uniform R ecording and R eporting of O ccupational Injuries and Illnesses This r e p o r t re c o rd s the beginning and w o rk of the study group, the assum ptions under which it operated, and the principal m atters it considered. Study Group Charge S ecretary of L abor J, D. Hodgson (then Under S e c re tary ) noted, in a le tte r to the A m e ric a n N ational Standards Institute in D ecem b er 1969, that the proposed O ccupational Safety and H ealth Act included a proposed national sy ste m fo r the collection of occupational accident and health sta tistic s. He e x p re ssed concern over the a p p ro p ria te n ess and appli cability of ANSI Standard Z16. 1-1967, M ethods of R ecording and M easu rin g W ork In ju ry E x p e rie n c e , fo r the b ro a d u n iv e rs e of em p lo yees subject to the ju risd ic tio n of the A ct p a rtic u la rly w ith re fe re n c e to the com plexity of Zk6. 1 and its tre a tm e n t of health questions. M r. Hodgson re q u e ste d th a t ANSI initiate' a rev iew and e v alu a tio n of the e ffectiv en ess and application of Z16. 1 as the national stan d a rd for in ju ry s ta tistic s collection. An in fo rm al co n feren ce of in ju ry s ta tis tic s e x p e rts m e t at ANSI h e a d q u a rte rs on Ja n u a ry 5, 1970, to review the qu estio n . The co n ferees agreed that th ere was substance to M r. H odgson' s concern and proposed that a study group be fo rm ed w ith the following charg e: Review available reporting m ethods and standards of reporting injuries on a nationwide b asis and if n e c e ssa ry develop a % sim ple m ethod of re p o rtin g in ju rie s . This sh a ll be in the fo rm of reco m m en d atio n s to the S tan d ard s In stitu te. The co n ferees b a se d th e ir p ro p o sa l on c o n sid e ra tio n s including the foil owing: Z16. 1 has grown com plex through efforts to m ake it equitable in varying circu m stan ces, but the com plexity has led to inequity for sm all re p o rte rs who do not know the full stan d a rd . It is now too co m p licated fo r a m andatory national reporting system . - 2- F o r establishm ents and com panies with good safety re c o rd s, Z16.1 does not reflect tren d s in injury experience adequately. Z16. 1 is not adequate fo r the re c o rd in g of h e alth e x p e rie n c e , e. g.., noise and occupational illn esses. The co nferees a lso found that the Z16. 1 Standard could not be se p a ra te d f r o m i t s u s e , a n d p r o p o s e d r e v i e w of Xe'Pr ^ n & s y s t e m s a n d t h e i r sam ples, the detail in which statistics are required, and nature of rep o rts in a national system . P re s id e n t F ra n c is L. LaQue of ANSI accep ted the re p o rt of the co n ferees and appointed a study group to m ake a re p o rt to the In stitu te in 90 d ay s. Review of P roblem ' The study group held full-day m eetin g s on Ja n u a ry 16, F e b ru a ry 3 and 17, M a r c h 9 and Z3, A p r il 6, 7 and 23 and J u ly 28. C o n s u lta n ts , p a r ticu larly in the field of occupational illn e ss, w ere invited to sit with the group and provided a co n sid erab le am ount of useful in fo rm atio n and advice. M em bers of the ANSI staff participated in the w ork and provided b rief m inutes of the m eetin g s. Although the study group gave b rie f attention to w o rk m en 5 s com pensation sta tistic s, disability sta tistic s of the Social S ecurity A dm inistration, and c u rre n t planning by the B ureau of M ines, it was ag reed that the system to be considered m u st be m ore like the c u rre n t establishm ent sta tistic s sy ste m s of the B ureau of L ab o r S ta tistic s and the N ational Safety C ouncil. C u rre n t BLS and NSC s ta tis tic s w e re found to su ffer from the problem s of ANSI Z16. 1 noted by the e a rlie r conference, from inadequate sam ples, and from not reflecting experience by size of e sta b lish m e n t. The study g roup re c o m m e n d s th at e v e ry e m p lo y e r c o v e re d by the Act be required to keep a re c o rd of each rep o rtab le occupational injury ' and illn ess (including fatality ), and that he be re q u ire d to com pile an a n n u a l s u m m a r y of th e i n d i v i d u a l r e c o r d s a n d p o s t it b y F e b r u a r y 15 of the following y ear within the estab lish m en t in a m an n er accessible to the em ployees. Not all the em p lo y ers should be re q u ire d to provide re p o rts to the F e d e ra l G overnm ent, perhaps 3LS, fo r sta tistic a l purposes, how ever, a w ell-designed sam ple would provide sounder s ta tis tic s th an a c o m p le te en u m era tio n of c o v e re d e m p lo y e r s . Subject to technical review by sam pling statistic ia n s, the study group estim ates that an eventual sam p le of about 1 m illio n re p o rts would provide adequate national and State statistics by industry and size class. - 3- System Concepts 3earing in m ind the points on which the 216. 1 Standard was criticized , the study group set about devising a sy stem that would be sim ple, - sensitive, and m eaningful; would reflect occupational disease experience; and would be usable in a v ery la rg e -s c a le survey* The item s to be - reported w ere defined and redefined sev eral tim es in attem pts to come closer to this ideal. The s y s te m a s s u m e s th a t e a c h e s ta b lis h m e n t w ill m a in ta in r e c o r d s of reportable injuries and illness and will m ake and post an annual sum m a ry . A sam ple of estab lish m en ts w ill m ake annual re p o rts including data from the sum m ary w ith location, em ploym ent, m an -h o u rs, and activity data req u ired for the statistic s. It is envisaged, how ever, that some establishm ents will be req u ired to provide variations of this report, on a m o re frequent basis or including additional data, to m eet inform ation requirem ents for adm inistration of the legislation. The study group believes that re p o rts should be held in confidence w ithin the a re a of a d m in istra tio n of the leg islatio n . A statem e n t m ight be made that "Individual establishm ent re p o rts will not be m ade public and no statistic s w ill be published in a way that p e rm its identification of an individual e sta b lis h m e n t o r d ed u catio n of its r e p o r ts , fhe re p o rts a re to be av ailab le fo r s ta tis tic a l co m p ilatio n , fo r the d ire c tio n of -- inspection and consultation se rv ic e s, and for ad m in istra tio n of the A ct. " fhe study group felt that the system should provide insofar as possible a sensitive m e asu re . Counting com paratively num erous m inor incidents gives a m ore sensitive m e asu re . Counting com paratively ra re m ajo r incidents gives a less sensitive m e asu re . U nfortunately, it is not p ractical to count e v ery accident and so the m o st sen sitiv e m e a su re cannot be used. The c ru c ia l ta sk of the study group was to choose a m easu re which on the one hand would be sensitive and on the other p ractical for a large num ber of em p lo y ers. Such a m e a su re m u st be defined in te rm s of the extent of the injury of illn ess. Then all in juries or illn e sse s of that or g re a te r extent would be "re p o rta b le , " a te rm the study group adopted. The g ro u p a g re e d th a t tr a d itio n a l fr e q u e n c y and s e v e r i t y r a te s e x p r e s s e d in te r m s of m illio n s of m a n -h o u rs w orked a re a b s tr a c t concepts not readily understood by m anagem ent and o thers concerned with the protection of w o rk e rs. C onsequently, the study group decided that a m o re m ean in g fu l m e a s u r e of r a te s w ould be " in ju r ie s p e r 100 em p lo y e es per year" rather than per m illion m an-hours worked. These rates should be in te r m s of 100 fu ll-tim e e m p lo y e e s . The system was sim plified by elim inating the traditional exceptions and exem ptions of Z16. 1 and by reducing the num ber of decisions that have to be m ade by those req u ired to keep re c o rd s. F o r exam ple, in stru ctio n s fo r use of this sy ste m a re contained on 4 ty p ew ritte n . p a g e s c o m p a r e d to th e 60 p r i n t e d p a g e s of 2.16, 1. Rates S tatistics from the sy stem proposed would include som e estim ated num bers, as the num ber of fatalities or the num ber of reportable injuries or illnesses. For com parison purposes, however, experience m ust be reflected by ra te s . The study group recom m ends that the p rim a ry b ase of such ra te s be the n u m b e rs of m a n -h o u rs at ris k , and th at they be e x p r e s s e d in t e r m s of a b a se of 100 fu ll-tim e e m p lo y e e s . M easu rem en ts of the s e v e rity of in ju ry and illn e ss th a t apply a rb itr a r y n u m b ers of days fo r deaths and p e rm a n en t im p a irm e n ts a re felt to be too com plex and obscure for g en eral com prehension and thus the recom m ended system does not include a b ritra ry ch arg es, fhe reco m m en d atio n of the study group p ro v id es fo r a count of w ork days lost, but does not provide an a ll-o v e r s e v e rity m e a s u re . It is felt that, fo r p u rp o s e s of p re v e n tio n of fu tu re lo s s e s , the ra n d o m or accidental fa cto rs affecting-the extent of disability are of little im portance as com pared to the o ccu rren ce of an occupational in ju ry or illn ess. Term s ' The Study G roup defined the follow ing te r m s to be p a r t of the re p o rtin g system . R ep o rtab le O c cu p a tio n a l In ju rie s and Illn e s s e s a re defined in te r m s of the extent of the inju ry . T hree c lasses w ere defined: F atalities are included, as they are in all m e a su re s. Lost Time C ases are defined in a variant of a definition used for over j 0 y e ars, the inability of the ' em ployee to p erfo rm his n o rm al assignm ent during a day or shift after tae day of inju ry . Tw o-V isit P hysician T rea tm e n t C ases are defined as those in w hich th e re is n e ith e r death n o r lo st tim e, but two or m o re v isits to a physician are re q u ire d . These m e a s u re s of extent are equally applicable to injuries and illn esses. *' . To d is tin g u is h b e tw ee n the tra d itio n a l te r m s of " a c c id e n ta l in ju ry " and "occupational d isea se, " the study group sought an understandable title for each class. - J- Replacing accidental injury the group chose O ccupational Injury defined as those which a rise fro m w ork accidents. The te rm occupational i l l n e s s e s w a s u s e d a s b r o a d e r t h a n ''d i s e a s e . " " O c c u p a t i o n a l i n j u r y " was defined v ery briefly, but "occupational illn ess" is defined at length, divided into sev en c a te g o rie s , and illu s tra te d by ex am p les fo r eac h of the c ate g o rie s. These m e a s u re s are intended to encourage un ifo rm and ' com plete reporting in spite of varying inclusions in w orkm en' s com pen satio n law s and the lack of a g e n e ra l c o n sc io u s n e s s of the v a rie ty of occupational illn esses. The com bined c la s s of o c cu p a tio n a l in ju r ie s and illn e s s e s is defined very sim ply as "any disability or perm anent im p airm en t to an em ployee which re su lts fro m any exposure in the w ork environm ent" and m eets the extent c r ite r ia m en tio n ed above. The study group rec o m m en d s strongly against specific exceptions and exem ptions such as those in Z16. 1, w h ic h a r e r e g a r d e d as a s e r i o u s fa u lt of th a t S ta n d a r d . The conference that proposed tne study group m ade re fe re n ce to noise and hearing as w ell as occupational disease under the g en eral heading . of health. It is the finding of the study group th at not all occupational noise-induced hearing loss problem s are susceptible to m easu rem en t by'the recording the reporting system proposed. O ther techniques m ay'be req u ired to identify problem s in this a re a . E sta b lish m e n ts to be C overed by R eporting S ystem The n u m b er of e m p lo y e rs who w ill be su b ject to the le g isla tio n w hen enacted was not known. The num ber of fa rm s and n o n ag ricu ltu ral e s t a b l i s h m e n t s is e s t i m a t e d to b e -> m i l l i o n , b u t t h i s n u m b e r i n c l u d e s " an undeterm ined num ber of re ta il and serv ice estab lish m en ts counted on the basis of one per county. T here are advantages to having sep a rate records m aintained for such establishm erits ra th e r than having county-wide re c o rd s. The num ber would be considerably reduced for survey purposes if the legislation or regulations exem pted from re p o rt- ing or reco rd -k eep in g establishm ents w itn sm all num ber of em ployees. fhe basic unit for which it is proposed that re c o rd s be m aintained and rep o rts m ade is the "establish m en t" as defined in the Standard Indus t r i a l C la ss ific a tio n of the Office of M an ag em en t and Budget. B riefly, it is an econom ic unit which produces goods or se rv ic e s. Generally, it is at a single physical location and is engaged in only one, or p re dom inantly one, type of econom ic activ ity for w nich an in d u stry code is applicable. Separate econom ic activities at a single location are regarded as separate establishm ents when such activities are not ordinarily asso ciated in a single location, the SIC does not have an in d u stry d escrip tio n for such com binations, the em ploym ent in each activity is significant, and rep o rts can be p re p a red on establishm ent type data. Study Group on a National System for U niform R ecording and R eporting of O ccupational Injuries and Illness M embers M aurice F. Jresnahan, Chairm an Lureau of Labor Statistics - A lternate: Lyle R. Schauer David C urley Aetna Life and C asualty Company G e o rg e C G u e n tn e r B ureau of L ab o r S tandards A lte rn a te : G eorge J, Yatsico H. Gene Iv_iller National Safety Council A l t e r n a t e : S i d n e y a- . S m i t h Paul L, M ichael Pennsylvania State U niversity G eorge H. R. T ay lo r A F L -C IC John G. Thodis M ichigan D epartm ent of Labor Jam es F, Van Namee Y.<estinghouse E le c tric C o rp o ratio n F o r the A m e ric an N ational S tandards Institute H enry 3. Lam b George Y . 3owen C o n su ltan ts B ureau of O ccupational Safety and H ealth, HEW M arcus M, Key, ML V i c t o r i a i'r a s k o Edward F. Seagle Vernon Rose Social Security A dm inistration Lawrence L. Haber