Form Attachment 1 Attachment 1 Interviewer Protocol

Attachment 1. Employer Interview Protocol

Introduction

Thank you for agreeing to participate in our study of workplace injury and illness recordkeeping. We are talking with people about how companies gather, record, and use information about workplace injuries and illnesses. We will start out by discussing your company’s general recordkeeping practices, and then ask some questions specifically about recordkeeping during the 2013 calendar year and the 2013 BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII).

We will use the information you provide us to improve the BLS survey. The information you provide us today is very important. As mentioned previously, everything we discuss today is strictly confidential and your participation is voluntary. This survey is being conducted under OMB Control Number 1220-0141. If at any point you don’t understand a question, feel free to ask for clarification. Do you have any questions for me before we get started?

Background and Company Demographics

First, I’d like to get a little background on the company. What does (Company Name) do/make exactly? About how many workers are employed at your company?

Employee roles

We are interested in how your company records information about workplace injuries and illnesses.

1. Can you tell me about who has primary responsibility for workplace injury and illness

reporting in your company?

• Respondent

• Other company safety and health employee, specify: __________

• TPA, other external claims manager

• Other, specify: ____________

2. Who typically completes or assists with recording and completing the OSHA 300 log and the BLS Survey of Occupational Illnesses and Injuries?

   • Respondent

   • Other company safety and health employee, specify: __________

   • TPA, other external claims manager

   • Other, specify: ____________

3. Did your company keep an OSHA 300 log during 2013?

   • Yes

   • No

   • DK

4. Was 2013 the first time (you’ve personally/other person) completed the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses?

   • Yes

   • No

   • Did not complete SOII

   • DK

   • Other, specify: _______________

5. When your company is NOT participating in the BLS survey, do you keep an OSHA 300 log?

   • Yes

   • No

   • DK

6. Does a Third Party Administrator assist with your company’s workers’ compensation claims management?

   • Yes

   • No

   • DK

7. Is your company self-insured for workers’ compensation claims/insurance?

   • Yes

   • No

   • DK

Now we have some general questions about OSHA 300 recordkeeping

8. When an injury or illness occurs, how do you determine whether to record the incident on your OSHA 300 log? (Clarify if necessary: the final/official log).

Specify: ___________________

• All injuries (would that include injuries and illnesses where the worker does not go to the doctor? Cases that do not end up as a WC claim?)

• All filed WC claims

• All accepted WC claims

• All injuries and illnesses that require medical treatment (clarify: does that include cases that do not end up as a WC claim?)

• Follow OSHA criteria

• Computer software decides

• Other, specify: _________________

9. Where does your company get the information needed to complete the OSHA 300 log?

   • Company report completed by the employee/supervisor

   • WC report of accident or other claim/insurer information (including info from TPA)—

   • Doctor’s report

   • Other, specify:_________________

10. Does your company get information for the OSHA 300 log from Worker’s Comp records?

    • Yes

    • No

1. (If yes), what information is provided?

• Date of injury

• Number of days away from work

• Injury type

• Worker name

• Injury location

• Treatment location

• None

2. (If no), where does your company get this information?

Specify: ________________

11. In general, how long after an injury or illness is reported to your company does it get recorded on the OSHA 300 log?

    • Within 1 day

    • Within 1 week

    • Within 1 month

    • End of year

    • When claim decision is made

    • When claim is filed

    • Other, specify: __________________

12. Where does your company usually get the number of days away from work for the OSHA 300 log?

    • Payroll data

    • WC Time loss data

    • Calendar (paper or computer)

    • Supervisor

    • Other, specify: __________________

1. Does the number of days away from work include all calendar days or is it limited to days of missed work or scheduled shifts?

• Calendar days

• Scheduled shifts/days

• DK

• Other, specify: __________________

Now I have a few questions about OSHA 300 recordkeeping and worker’s compensation reporting.

In general, how frequently would you say your company encounters the following situations? Have you:

	Almost never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often
Recorded case(s) on the OSHA 300 log that were not workers’ compensation claims
Recorded cases on the OSHA 300 log that were denied workers’ compensation benefits
Accepted workers’ compensation cases that were not included on the OSHA 300 log
Added cases to a previous year’s OSHA 300 log

Now we have some general questions about recordkeeping practices for the BLS Survey (SOII) at your company.

Since the BLS survey covers a calendar year, there are a number of common reasons we don’t capture all of the injury and illness cases on the survey. We’ve identified a number of these reasons for these “late cases” by talking to other companies. We were wondering whether any of these types of timing issues have happened at your company as well.

13. Has your company found out about an injury or illness too late to include in the BLS survey?

    • Yes

    • No

1. Can you tell me about that?

2. (If yes) How frequently would you say this happens?

• Never

• Rarely

• Sometimes

• Often

14. Do you update these “late cases” in the OSHA logs?

• Yes

• No

• DK

15. If yes, what do you update in your OSHA logs? (Check all that apply)

• Injury and illness descriptions

• Information about an injury

• Number of days away from work

• Case classification like from Job transfer to Days away from work

• Case classification like a change from medical only to time loss

• Worker’s comp claim successfully protested

16. Does your company ever experience any difficulties in updating or adding late cases? If so, what are they?

2013-specific questions

Now we are interested in learning about the process in which your company handled submitting the 2013 BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. All questions will apply to injury and illnesses that occurred during the 2013 calendar year.

Our records indicate your company submitted the BLS survey on [2014 DATE SUBMITTED]. I just asked you some questions earlier about how your company handles “late cases” in general. Now, we are interested in knowing whether any of these things happened during the 2013 calendar year. Please note that you would have received this survey in January 2014.

17. During the 2013 calendar year, was your company notified of any injuries or illnesses that were reported too late to include in the BLS survey?

    • Yes

    • No

1. (If yes) Do you know how many? __________

18. As mentioned, sometimes late cases occur during to the timing of the injury. Did any of the following timing issues happen during the 2013 calendar year?

	Yes	(if yes) How many?	No
An injury occurred late in the 2013 calendar year
The onset of an injury was determined to be during the 2013, after you submitted the BLS
An employee delayed in reporting the injury, after you submitted the BLS survey
An employee filed a claim for 2013 after separating from your company

19. Sometimes late cases occur due to the nature of the injury. Did any of the following happen at your company during the 2013 calendar year?

	Yes	(if yes) How many?	No
The status of an injury changed after you submitted the 2013 BLS survey due to cumulative or recurring injury (probe for: CTS, hearing loss, soft tissue injuries, sprains/strains, and other injuries with a long latency period)
An old injury worsened, and an old case became recordable during the 2013 calendar year

20. A final reason late cases occur is due to recordkeeping. Were any cases left off the 2013 BLS Survey for the following reasons during the 2013 calendar year?

	Yes	(if yes) How many?	No
A case was pending WC at the time of submitting the 2013 BLS survey and was not included
An old claim got accepted for WC after submitting the 2013 BLS survey
The person in charge of recordkeeping changed during the 2013 calendar year
An error occurred in recordkeeping

21. During the 2013 calendar year, did your company…

	Yes	No	Example?
Update the number of days away from work on a previous year’s log?
Cross-check to see whether workers’ compensation claims were also included on the 2013 OSHA 300 log?
Receive workers’ compensation claims filed after the close of the BLS survey?

22. Focusing on the time interval from when you submitted the BLS Survey on [2014 date], and the time BLS received it [2014 date]… Were there any other changes to the information submitted in the 2013 BLS Survey that you can think of?

Recordkeeping vignettes

Now we have some questions about different hypothetical scenarios about recordkeeping. We are not evaluating you or your company. These questions are just meant to get your honest feedback regarding what recordkeeping decisions you think your company might make in the following situations.

23. Let’s say an employee sprained his ankle at work on Friday. His doctor recommended he take 2 days off from work. He was not scheduled to work on the weekend, and he returned to work on Monday.

1. Would your company consider this an OSHA-recordable injury?

• Yes

• No

• DK

2. (If yes) would you record any days away from work?

   • Yes

   • No

   • DK

3. (if yes) How many? _____

24. Let’s say an employee cut her thumb and had stitches in December. Her thumb became infected in January, resulting in days away from work, after your company already submitted the BLS survey. Do you think your company would…

    • Record this as a new injury

    • Update the old injury

    • Not record

    • DK

    • Other, specify: ________

Now we have some more general questions about record-keeping in your company

25. Have/has (you/person with primary responsibility from 5) received formal training on OSHA recordkeeping, such as classes, seminars, or online courses?

    • Yes

    • No

    • DK

26. [If yes] When did (you/person with primary responsibility from 5) last receive formal OSHA recordkeeping training? ______

    • Within the past 12 months

    • 1-3 years ago

    • 4-5 years ago

    • More than 5 years ago

    • DK

Now we just have a couple final questions about your company before we finish up.

27. Does your company use temporary workers hired through a temp help agency?

    • Yes

    • No

    • Not now, but in the past

    • DK

1. (If yes) Did you include any temporary help workers’ injuries or illnesses on the OSHA 300 log during the 2013 calendar year?

   • Yes (If yes, how many?)

   • No

   • DK

2. Did you include any temporary help agency workers’ injuries or illnesses on the BLS Survey?

   • Yes (If yes, how many?)

   • No

   • DK

28. Are any workers in your company covered by a union or collective bargaining agreement?

    • Yes

    • No

    • DK

Debriefing questions:

• Do you have any general thoughts or comments about this survey, the SOII, or injury and illness recordkeeping?