Recent changes to federal electronic submission requirements, coupled with an accelerated March 2 reporting deadline, materially increase compliance risk for automotive manufacturers, suppliers, and fleet operations. The updated framework requires more timely and precise digital filings of workplace safety data, leaving little margin for administrative delay or technical error. For multi-facility operations and complex corporate structures, the compressed timeline heightens exposure to inadvertent noncompliance.

Failure to meet the new requirements can trigger enforcement actions by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, including citations and civil penalties of up to $16,131 per violation — amounts that can rapidly compound across sites and reporting periods. Beyond monetary exposure, violations may prompt increased inspections, reputational harm, and heightened regulatory scrutiny.

The requirement comes from OSHA’s Injury and Illness Recordkeeping electronic reporting rule under 29 C.F.R. Part 1904, often referred to as the “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” rule.

Administered by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the rule mandates that certain employers — including many in manufacturing and automotive operations — electronically submit OSHA Forms 300, 300A, and 301 through OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application (ITA). Recent updates expanded covered establishments and tightened submission expectations, while OSHA has increasingly emphasized strict deadline enforcement.

The March 2 annual deadline applies to covered employers submitting Form 300A (and, for larger/high-risk employers, detailed incident data). Because submissions are now fully electronic and cross-checked, late or incomplete filings are easier for OSHA to detect — directly driving higher citation risk.