Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Am I required to provide case information for those employees receiving days of job transfer and restriction?

   For the 2016 survey year, we are collecting days of job transfer and restriction case information for entities within the NAICS industries beginning with 312, 452, 492, 562, 622, and 721. Respondents were notified if required to provide this information in the prenotification letter and in the letter received with survey instructions. If you are unsure whether you are required to provide this information, please contact your state.

2. Can I complete the form online?

   Yes. Instructions for online submission can be found here.

3. Can I send my information by e-mail?

   No. Previous options to report your data for the SOII via email included a fillable Adobe PDF form that could be completed and submitted electronically. This option was discontinued following collection of the 2015 SOII. However, you may still submit your data electronically using the BLS Internet Data Collection Facility (IDCF). Instructions for online submission can be found here.

4. Can I phone in my data?

   Yes. Call the number listed on the front of your survey package next to 'For Help Call:'. They can take your data over the phone.

5. Can I FAX in my data?

   Yes. Instructions for reporting via FAX can be found here.

6. Can I submit an electronic file of my work-related injuries and illnesses instead of filling out the form online?

   Yes. You can submit an electronic file of your survey data. Generally, large companies with multiple locations in the SOII would benefit the most from this type of submission. Contact us for specific instructions.

7. How do I add and report my additional establishment id(s)?

   You can add establishment ID(s) to your existing account. On the Select Establishment Page:

   1. Click the “Add Establishment” button.
   2. Type in your establishment ID into the bottom row of the table
   3. Hit the “Add” button located to the left of the Establishment ID that was just typed in.

8. I received more than one information sheet. Are they the same?

   Check the establishment ID number(s) on the information sheets you received to verify whether the information sheet is the same. If the information sheet contains different establishment ID numbers, you should submit data for each establishment.

9. I did not record my injuries and illnesses on the OSHA forms. What do I do?

   If you did not record the necessary information on your OSHA forms, please use whatever records you have available.

10. Can I update my company name and address?

    Yes. Establishment information is the name and address of the worksite for which you are completing. To update establishment information:

    1. Open the survey for the establishment whose information you want to update.
    2. Click on the "Update" button located in Section 1: Establishment Information. The Establishment Information page appears.
    3. Update your establishment information.
       Note: All fields are required.
    4. Click on the "Submit" button, or click on the "Cancel" button to return to the survey without making changes.

11. Can I modify my answers once I've entered them?

    Yes. To modify your survey responses:

    1. Log back into the IDCF system using your account number and the password you created.
    2. Click the "Select" button next to the establishment you would like to update.
    3. Revise any necessary data on the appropriate page.
    4. Click on the "Save & Continue" arrow on each page until you reach the Data Review page.
    5. Click on the "Submit Data to BLS" button to submit your updated survey data.

12. Are my responses automatically saved?

    Yes. Your responses are saved automatically when you click on the "Save & Continue" button.

13. Is there a way to print what I submitted?

    Yes. To print a copy of what you submitted:

    1. Click on the "Select" button next to the establishment you would like to print.
    2. Click on the "Save & Continue" arrow until you get to Section 4: Data Review.
    3. Click on the “Submit” button.
    4. Click on the “Print Submission” button.

14. What is the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)?

    This is a survey that is designed to provide an estimate of the number of work related injuries and illnesses and a measure of the frequency (rate) at which they occur. For more serious cases, those that involve one or more days away from work, it also provides a description of the injury or illness circumstances as well as the characteristics of the affected workers. You can learn much more about this survey by visiting https://www.bls.gov/iif/.

    The SOII collects data on non-fatal injuries and illnesses for each calendar year from a sample of employers. Just prior to the start of the year, the BLS sends notification (and recordkeeping information) to the sampled employers. In the following January, the BLS sends these employers requests for the injury and illness information for the year just ended, along with instructions on how to report it to the BLS. These reports form the basis of the annual estimates published in the October and November after the data are collected.

15. What are some important uses of SOII data?

    The data are used to identify and correct hazards in the workplace. National and State policy makers use the survey as an indicator of the occupational safety and health conditions across industries and kinds of workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration uses the statistics to help determine where additional measures are needed to improve safety programs and to measure the effectiveness of the 1970 act in reducing work-related injuries and illnesses. Both labor and management use the estimates to design and evaluate safety programs. Other users include insurance carriers involved in workers' compensation, industrial hygienists, manufacturers of safety equipment, researchers, and others concerned with job safety and health.

16. Is my response to this survey mandatory?

    Your survey materials and instructions will indicate whether your response is mandatory.

17. If the survey is mandatory, what laws or regulations apply?

    Participation by private sector employers is mandated by OSHA. OSHA's recordkeeping advisor explains some of the regulations that apply. For State and local government employers, your State laws determine whether this survey is mandatory.

18. Are the data I provide confidential?

    Yes! Your information and identity are kept in strict confidence in accordance with Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Integrity Guidelines and with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2002.

19. I can't find my survey instructions, what should I do?

    Not all establishments are included in this survey every year and the survey instructions include certain information necessary for you to successfully respond to the survey. If you received survey instructions but have misplaced them, contact the State agency that would have mailed the instructions to you. The contact information for each State can be found on our respondent contact/help page.

20. Why have I been chosen to participate in this survey?

    The sample that we select for the survey is relatively small comprising only about 200,000 establishments across the entire country. The sample size is kept as small as possible while still allowing us to produce reliable estimates of injuries and illnesses for both the nation and each participating State. The establishments selected for the survey are separated into groups according to their location, industry, and number of employees. An optimum sample size is determined and then a probability sample from each group is randomly selected.

21. What establishments are covered? We have multiple establishments and work sites, some in other States. Which should we report for?

    
    
    
    • Report only for the location(s) identified on the front page under "Report for:".
      
    • If the instruction says "Report for: Texas Operations of Addressed Firm" or something similar, report for all of your work sites in that State. Do not include information from establishments in other States.
    • Please contact your State office if you are not sure what to do.

22. Which employees do we include in the report?

    You must include all employees on your payroll, whether they are labor, executive, hourly, salaried, part-time, seasonal, or migrant workers. You also must include employees who are not on your payroll, such as those provided by an employment agency if you supervise these employees on a day-to-day basis. See OSHA's recordkeeping advisor for more guidance on which employees must be included.

23. How much time do I have to report my data?

    We ask that you submit your data within 30 days of receiving your survey instructions. If you feel that is not sufficient time, please call your State office.

24. Is OSHA electronic reporting the same as reporting for the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)?

    No. OSHA’s electronic reporting requirements do not change requirements for reporting for the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. BLS realizes that OSHA’s new electronic data collection effort may occasionally require some employers to report injury and illness data to both OSHA and to BLS. BLS will continue to offer several ways to report data for the SOII to make the process as convenient as possible.

25. What is OSHA electronic reporting, who does it impact, and when does it begin?

    A Federal Register notice published on May 12, 2016, describes the final rule issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to revise its Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses regulation. The final rule requires employers in certain industries to electronically submit to OSHA injury and illness data that employers are already required to keep under existing OSHA regulations. Specifically, this rule requires that:

    • Establishments with 250 or more employees must report their data electronically (data from their Forms 300, 301, and 300A) to OSHA ANNUALLY
    • Establishments in "certain designated industries" with 20 or more employees must report data electronically to OSHA ANNUALLY
    • Certain other establishments must also report data to OSHA electronically "upon notification"

    OSHA’s planned schedule for electronic submission of injury and illness data follows:

    Reference Year	Establishments with 250+ employees in covered industries	Establishments with 20-249 employees in select industries	Submission Deadline
    CY2016	CY2016 300A Form	CY2016 300A Form	July 1, 2017
    CY2017	CY2017 300A, 300, 301 Forms	CY2017 300A Form	July 1, 2018
    CY2018 and beyond	300A, 300, 301 Forms	300A Form	March 2 (annually)

26. Where can I find additional information regarding OSHA’s recordkeeping rule requiring employers to electronically submit injury and illness data?

    Visit OSHA’s webpage for additional information on their recordkeeping rule requiring employers to electronically submit injury and illness data to OSHA. Additional questions should be directed to OSHA.

27. Can employers submit data to either BLS or OSHA and not both?

    No. BLS is charged with producing accurate and statistically valid estimates of work-related injuries and illnesses among U.S. workplaces. Unfortunately, OSHA data collection processes were not designed to ensure the validity, accuracy, or completeness of data necessary for BLS to tabulate statistically valid estimates of workplace injuries and illnesses using OSHA data. However, BLS has begun researching alternative methodologies that may allow the use of OSHA-collected data in the future as a way to minimize reporting burden.

    In the meantime, private industry employers continue to be required by law to respond to the SOII. Individual State laws determine whether response to the SOII is mandatory for State and local government establishments within each State. BLS is not permitted to share the identity of SOII respondents and the data that they provide to BLS are kept in strict confidence in accordance with Bureau of Labor Statistics Data Integrity Guidelines and with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2002. BLS uses data collected from the SOII for statistical purposes only to estimate counts and rates of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses among U.S. workplaces. CIPSEA prohibits BLS from disclosing or releasing respondent data in identifiable form to unauthorized persons.

    In addition to CIPSEA provisions governing BLS confidentiality, several other laws also play a role in ensuring confidentiality of BLS data. These include the Privacy Act which requires the government and its agents to protect personal information it collects and maintains on private citizens. Further, the Workforce Investment Act prohibits the disclosure of data collected for statistical purposes. The Trade Secrets Act prohibits disclosure of confidential business information collected and maintained by the government. Additionally, BLS employees are guided by internal policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding confidential data.

28. Will BLS use OSHA-collected data for the SOII?

    Data collected by OSHA do not currently meet BLS requirements for producing accurate and statistically valid estimates. Additional research is necessary to determine if or how BLS may be able to utilize data collected by OSHA. BLS is currently evaluating methodologies that may allow for use of OSHA-collected data in the future as a way to minimize reporting burden.

29. OSHA did not ask me questions about my OSHA log. Why is the BLS contacting me to clarify and correct data reported from my OSHA log for the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII)?

    The BLS is charged with providing accurate and statistically valid estimates of rates and counts of workplace injuries and illnesses in the United States and conducts the SOII annually for this purpose. BLS reviews your data extensively for accuracy and validity and may contact employers to verify data reported for the SOII or to correct things like typographical errors or anomalous data. In order to accurately estimate the injuries and illnesses occurring in each industry, BLS must ensure that the data provided by employers are correct and that they match the establishment(s) selected to participate annually in the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).

30. I have an employee who had both days away from work AND days of job transfer or restriction. How do I classify this work-related injury (or illness)?

    According to OSHA recordkeeping rules, you should classify a case according to its most serious final outcome. In this instance, you would classify this case as a case with days away from work and you would record the number of days away from work AND the days of job transfer or restriction in the corresponding columns on your OSHA 300 log.

31. Should I count calendar days or work days when reporting the days away from work and the days of job transfer or restriction?

    You should count calendar days.

32. An injured employee was sent to a clinic or urgent care facility. Should I record this as an emergency room visit?

    No. For OSHA recordkeeping purposes (per guidance provided by OSHA), an emergency room is a facility staffed and equipped to provide emergency care to persons requiring immediate medical treatment. It can be either free standing or attached to a hospital. These facilities are almost always labeled as an "Emergency Room" or "ER".

    The following types of businesses do not fit the definition of emergency room. If an injured employee is seen in one of these establishments, the employer should not check the Yes box:

    • Urgent care facility
    • Health unit (within an establishment)
    • Infirmary
    • Clinic (that has medical doctors who perform medical procedures, such as X-ray, tests for strep throat, and may set minor broken bones, etc.)

33. Which classes of employees should I count when I calculate my annual average number of employees for this report?

    You should count full-time employees, part-time employees, temporary workers, seasonal workers, salaried workers, and hourly workers. The coverage is the same as stated in question 21 above, including those employees provided by the employment agency if you supervise them on a day-to-day basis. See OSHA's recordkeeping advisor for more guidance on which employees must be included.

34. Do I need to count only regular work hours? What about overtime?

    You should count the number of regular and overtime hours worked by full-time employees. You should exclude vacation, sick leave, holidays, and any other non-work time. You will also need to count the number of hours worked by your non-full-time employees. (Non-full-time employees include part-time, seasonal, and temporary employees.)

35. Most of the employees at our establishment are salaried (not hourly) workers, how do we count their total hours worked?

    The hours worked is the measure that we use to determine the frequency rate of work-related injuries and illnesses. If the exact number of hours actually worked is not available then a reasonable estimate is an acceptable substitute. Our response to question 34 above provides a link that demonstrates one method of estimating the number of hours worked and includes a description of how one would handle the hours worked by salaried employees.

36. Where can I go for additional help in recording work-related injuries and illnesses?

    Visit the OSHA Recordkeeping page and OSHA's recordkeeping advisor for information about recording work-related injuries and illnesses.

37. Where can I go for additional help reporting my data?

    Call the phone number listed on the front of the survey instructions. If you need help with the Internet Data Collection Facility online submission or e-mail submission of your survey data, contact us at osh.helpdesk@bls.gov.

Last Modified Date: December 15, 2016

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