Changes to OSHA Reporting Requirements

Changes to OSHA reporting requirements: What need to be reported?

OSHA's updated recordkeeping rule expands the list of severe injuries that employers must report to OSHA.

As of January 1, 2015, all employers must report

1. All work related fatalities within 8 hours.
2. All work related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations and all loss of an eye within 24 hours.

You can report to OSHA by

1. Calling OSHA's free and confidential number at 1(800) 321-OSHA (6742).
2. Calling your closest Area Office during normal business hours.
3. Using the new online form that will soon be available.

Only fatalities occurring within 30 days of the work-related incident must be reported to OSHA. Further, for an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of eye, these incidents must be reported to OSHA only if they occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident.

Changes to OSHA record keeping requirements: Who is required to keep records? Who is exempt from keeping records?

OHSA regulations require certain employees to routinely keep records of serious employee injuries and illnesses. However, there are two classes of employers that are partially exempt from routinely keeping records. First, employers with ten or fewer employees at all time during the previous calendar year are exempt from routinely keeping OHSA injury and illness records. OSHA's revised record keeping regulation maintains this exemption. Second, establishments in certain low-hazard industries are also exempt from routinely keeping OSHA injury and illness records. Since 1982, this list has been comprised of establishments in the divisions of retail trade, finance, insurance and real estate; and the service industry. OSHA's revised record keeping regulation provides an updated list of low-hazard industries that are exempt from routinely keeping OSHA injury and illness records. The new list of exempt industries is now classified by North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS), which is the standard use by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. The injury and illness rate threshold is based on more recent BLS data.