Employers who attempt to access OSHA’s electronic injury and illness reporting portal are being greeted by the following message:
 

 Alert: Due to technical difficulties with the website, some pages are temporarily unavailable.


Turns out a possible data breach has caused the U.S. Department of Labor to temporarily suspend access to the agency's Injury Tracking Application (ITA).

According to news sources, OSHA was notified by Homeland Security that at least one company appears to have been affected by a potential compromise of user information.

The security uncertainty has reportedly prompted some companies to avoid reporting injuries and illnesses at this time. Although the portal was activated on Aug. 1, the compliance date for the regulation is Dec. 1.

The Trump administration is considering rescinding the regulation the requiring certain businesses to electronically report employee injuries and illnesses – a requirement opposed by some industry groups, who objected to making companies’ safety data public.

Former OSHA chief David Michaels has said publicizing such data would motivate companies to make needed improvements to their safety programs.

The rule applies to employers with 250 or more employees and to locations with 20 to 249 employees in industries designated by OSHA as having high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses.