Questions and Answers
The public sector injury and illness survey, administered by the PSIM Bureau, is an annual survey conducted in the spring of each year.
The public sector injury and illness survey is very similar to the annual BLS survey, but they are two distinct surveys. The NCDOL conducts both surveys; however, The public sector injury and illness survey is conducted by the NCDOL PSIM Bureau and the BLS survey is administered by the federal government through the Research and Policy section and is considered confidential information.
The BLS survey is conducted by the NCDOL Research and Policy section, and it requests more detailed information related to injuries and illnesses that occurred in the workplace. As previously mentioned, the public sector injury and illness survey is conducted by the NCDOL PSIM Bureau.
No, the ITA and the public sector injury and illness survey are two distinct avenues for collecting data. The ITA is a requirement under OSHA in which certain employers must submit electronic injury and illness data annually. Additional information about the ITA can be found on the safety and health topics page for Recording and Reporting on the NCDOL website.
Yes. Government agencies are required under North Carolina General Statute (NCGS) 95-148—Safety and Health Programs of State Agencies and Local Governments, to respond to the public sector survey. Each public sector employer must participate in the survey.
The OSH Standards Notice 75 - Public Sector Establishments for Recordkeeping clarifies how public sector employers can maintain the OSHA 300 logs (29 CFR 1904.46 - Definitions) for compliance inspections.
A thorough explanation of this program can be found in the OSH Division’s Field Operations Manual, Chapter 2—Compliance Programming and Operational Procedure Notice 128—Public Sector Surveys and Inspections.