Research and Statistics

BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses:
information for participating Minnesota employers

How to be an exemplary survey participant -- tips

Be certain about which establishment is being requested to participate in the survey. For some companies, surveys for different establishments are sent to a separate or central mailing address. Complete a separate survey form for each establishment with a separate survey request.

Keep an accurate OSHA log. Get training about recordkeeping informally from safety professionals, experienced colleagues and Internet resources, or formally from sources such as Minnesota Safety Council classes. Use available DLI MNOSHA and federal OSHA resources: DLI MNOSHA recordkeeping standard page includes links to the OSHA log and other resources, as well as Recordkeeping 101 and 201 series of how-to articles; federal OSHA offers training presentations via its recordkeeping page.

Use the survey collection period as an opportunity to review your cases. Update the case status, number of days away from work, and days of job transfer or restriction.

Keep and report accurate records of the number of employees and hours worked. The survey needs to have the actual head count, not the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) workers.

Read the survey instructions carefully. Most errors and questions are due to not understanding what information goes where.

Call the DLI survey team if you have questions about OSHA recordkeeping and survey reporting. (651) 284-5428 or 1-888-589-6322

After reviewing your OSHA log for accuracy and making updates: complete the OSHA log summary (OSHA form 300A). Have a colleague or supervisor review your OSHA log and log summary, or explain the information and cases on the forms to someone, to make sure the information makes sense. This is a good opportunity for your company's safety committee to take part in the process. be certain you have the information you will need to complete the survey reporting about cases with days away from work. Use the OSHA injury and illness incident report (OSHA form 301) or the workers' compensation First Report of Injury form for each case. complete the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses and return it to the Bureau of Labor Statistics as early as possible. Have a colleague or supervisor review your survey entries to help spot any errors from transferring the information from your OSHA log summary, and injury and illness incident reports.

Print a copy of your responses for your records and to use if you are contacted by the DLI survey team.

Use the survey results to improve or energize your safety management system.

Reporting cases with days away from work

Do not leave any input space blank on the survey form; this is likely to generate a phone call from the DLI survey collection team to you.

If you do not want to indicate race/ethnicity, do not leave the space blank, check "Not available."

If you do not have the time the worker started work or the time of the event, say so in the comment area.

Write the injured worker's occupation -- job title or job type -- in plain language. Do not use acronyms. The DLI survey team will phone you if the occupation entered cannot be understood.