In effect as of January 1, 2015, The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires employers to notify OSHA when a single employee or more is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. The new rule gives employers up to eight hours to report a work-related fatality or injury. Previous rules required employers to only report work related fatalities of three or more. This change came after it was reported that 4,405 workers had been killed on the job in 2013.
Also updated with the severe injury and fatality reporting requirements was the list of employers partially exempt from OSHA record-keeping requirements. These rules are in effect for any workplaces under federal OSHA jurisdiction. The previous list of exempt industries was based on the old Standard Industrial Classification system and the update uses the North American Industry Classification System to classify establishments by industry.
The new rule was enacted to better help OSHA track workplace injuries so that they can use the information about each type of injury in a useful way — to prevent future injuries at the job sites. Employers, therefore, can expect more OSHA inspections after any injuries that require a hospitalization and can expect that emergency medical responders will also be reporting the injury to OSHA.
“Workplace injuries and fatalities are absolutely preventable, and these new requirements will help OSHA focus its resources and hold employers accountable for preventing them.” said former U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. At EMD Law we could not agree more. If you have been severely injured in a work-related accident, contact us to schedule your free consultation.
Learn more about this change to OSHA severe injury reporting here.
