In my previous post I added to your holiday to-do list with some of the important annual employee benefit requirements. Unfortunately, that’s not all! Some additional compliance housekeeping includes making sure your organization’s Affirmative Action Plan and OSHA 300 reporting is completed for the new year.
Affirmative Action Plans (AAP) are required for any federal contractor or subcontractor with 50 or more employees and $50,000 or more in federal contracts. Or, if your business is construction related, if you have more than $10,000 in federal contracts or federally subsidized contracts, regardless of the number of employees you have, you are still required to comply. The plans are basically an analysis and narrative of the employment policies and practices of the company and the planned good faith efforts to promote the employment of females, minorities, veterans and people with disabilities. The reports are generally completed at the beginning of the fiscal year for the company. The data used is looking back at the prior year’s employment statistics for hiring, firing, transferring and promoting. This data relays how well the company is employing the protected groups as compared to the demography of the geographical region the company is located. The AAP must also explain out how the organization plans to improve or maintain their statistics through employment practices.
OSHA 300 Summary report postings are required to be posted in a public area of the organization no later than January 31st of each year. This report shows the OSHA recordable injuries, illnesses or deaths that are work related that occurred at each location in the prior year. The report must be signed by the senior most official at each location. The information included on the report are the number of missed work days that were a result of a work related injury or illness, the number of claims that were reported and the number of work related deaths that occurred in the prior year. Additionally, the report reflects the total average number of employees that location had in the prior year and the total average payroll wages for the prior year.
Phew! So, as you can see, there is a lot to start thinking ahead for the coming year’s work to make sure your company is in compliance. If you aren’t involved in HR, make sure you give some extra thanks this holiday season for your busy HR colleagues for ensuring your organization meets all necessary compliance requirements.
Happy New Year from all of us here at HR Advisors Group!
