5-A.__Working group on data collection and injury prevention.__The Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards shall convene a working group beginning not later than October 1, 2003 to evaluate data on work-related injuries and identify ways to reduce the incidence of such injuries.__ The bureau shall include in the group representatives of the board, labor, employers, occupational health practitioners, safety experts, insurers and others that the bureau considers useful and necessary to the group. The group shall review existing data collection efforts and the structure within State Government for evaluating and improving injury prevention efforts in the workplace.__The group shall identify ways to improve data collection, analysis and injury prevention programs in the State.__The bureau shall report the recommendations of the group by January 1, 2005 and January 1, 2006 to the Governor and to the joint standing committees of the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters and over insurance matters.__Those committees are authorized to report out legislation in response to the recommendations to the First Regular Session of the 122nd Legislature and the Second Regular Session of the 122nd Legislature.__The__bureau may continue the group as long as it considers such a group useful in understanding the causes and promoting prevention of work-related injuries in the State.

Sec. 3. Effective date. Section 1 of this Act takes effect January 1, 2004.

SUMMARY

Under current Maine law, an employer is required to report a work-related injury to the Workers' Compensation Board only if the injury causes the employee to lose a day's work. To provide more complete information on the incidence of work- related injuries, this bill adds a requirement that any injury that requires medical care also be reported to the board. The bill places the ultimate responsibility for timely and accurate filing of first reports of injury on insurers, self- insurers and group self-insurers.

The bill also requires insurers, self-insurers and group self-insurers to file injury reports electronically. Currently, at least 1/2 of first injury reports are filed electronically.

Finally, the bill requires the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Standards to convene a working group to develop a plan to use information about work-related injuries to identify the