Be prepared to comply with the new rules for reporting serious injuries directly to OSHA!
New rules in states under Federal jurisdiction take effect on January 1, 2015. State plan states are also urged to adopt the new rules effective in January but may delay implementation slightly. Either way, here is a look at the new rules:
Previously, employers had to report the following events to OSHA:
- All work-related fatalities
- All work-related hospitalizations of three or more employees
Now, employers have to report the following events to OSHA:
- All work-related fatalities
- All work-related in-patient hospitalizations of one or more employees
- All work-related amputations
- All work-related losses of an eye
Employers must report work-related fatalities within 8 hours of finding out about it.
For any in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss employers must report the incident within 24 hours of learning about it.
Only fatalities occurring within 30 days of the work-related incident must be reported to OSHA. Further, for an inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye, then incidents must be reported to OSHA only if they occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident.
Employers have three options for reporting the event:
- By telephone to the nearest OSHA Area Office during normal business hours.
- By telephone to the 24-hour OSHA hotline (1-800-321-OSHA or 1-800-321-6742).
- OSHA is developing a new means of reporting events electronically, which will be released soon and accessible on OSHA's website.
This is a significant new rule! Read more in the OSHA press release here, or click here to go to OSHA’s web site pages that explain the new rules and answer questions pertaining to them.
