OSHA Alters Injury and Fatality Reporting Regulations

As of the first of the year, OSHA’s latest requirements and regulations for reporting on the job injuries and fatalities have changed.

These regulations will directly impact businesses with over 10 employees.

Adhering to these new regulations is the responsibility of business owners, but here are a few things to keep in mind regarding the changes.

New OSHA Standards; What You Need to Know

Employers that are covered under OSHA are required to keep detailed records of any injuries or fatalities that take place on the job.

However, effective January 1 those requirements have been expanded. These include the following:

OSHA now requires any serious, fatal, or life threatening work related injuries to be reported within eight hours of employers learning about them. This requirement continues 30 days after any on-the-job accident that leads to death.

Additionally, any injury that causes an employee to be hospitalized, have a limb amputated, or an eye removed must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours. T

hese new regulations are applicable to all employers, even those who were previously exempt from record keeping.

It is important to remember that these reports almost always cause OSHA to launch an investigation that involves inspection of your business along with the retention of witness testimonials and the review of required documents such as OSHA 300 logs.

Although most business with fewer than 10 employees are exempt from recordkeeping requirements, OSHA has revamped their list of who falls under their new regulations. The safest bet for employers is to investigate OSHA’s revamped list to see if their company is obligated to keep detailed records.

Under their new regulations, OSHA will also be posting injury logs online. These can pose a risk of penalties and violations to business who fail to keep accurate records. Both site inspections and violations will be available online for the public to view.

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