The Labor Department wants companies to begin filing all workplace injury and illness reports electronically so they are available the public to see.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will announce the plan on Thursday as part of a proposed rule that would dramatically change the way companies file safety records, according to a person familiar with the proposal. The plan would apply only to companies with more than 250 employees.
While the proposal is expected to please labor and workplace safety groups, business groups are likely to oppose it. They say raw injury data can be misleading or contain sensitive information that can be misused. Current rules require employers to post summaries of injury and illness reports where they can be seen by employees.