Via FAS – CRS Reports & Analysis Legal Sidebar – OSHA Rule Makes Workplace Injury and Illness Data Publicly Available: “On May 11, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a final rule that will make the data that certain employers collect on workplace injuries and illnesses publicly available. The rule does not appear to require employers to collect new data on workplace injuries and illnesses. Rather, in relevant part, the rule obligates employers to disclose to OSHA the workplace injury and illness data that they already collect under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) and its implementing regulations. OSHA will make this data publicly available online. The rule may be of interest to Congress because of disagreement expressed by some over releasing such data to the public. In promulgating the rule, OSHA observed that it may improve workplace safety by allowing “employers, employees, employee representatives, the government, and researchers” to be “better able to identify and mitigate workplace hazards.” However, opponents of the rule have expressed concerns that, among other things, it could mislead the public, reasoning that past employee injuries are not a reliable  benchmark of a business’ current workplace safety performance or program…”