The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration has changed the requirement for reporting employee injuries.
Beginning January 1, 2015, employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities to OSHA within eight hours after they occur, and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye with 24 hours.
Previously, employers were required to report all workplace fatalities and when three or more workers were hospitalized in the same incident.
According to OSHA, the new updated reporting requirements have a life saving purpose.
“They will enable employers and workers to prevent future injuries by identifying and eliminating the most serious workplace hazards,” OSHA officials stated during a Twitter conversation held December 11 to outline the new rules.
Employers have three options for reporting these severe incidents to OSHA:
1. They can call their nearest area OSHA office during normal business hours.
2. They can call the 24-hour OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742)
3. They can report incidents online at www.osha.gov/report_online.
More information about the new rules, including Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on the blog of Dr. David Michaels, the assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.
Michaels wrote that the new rules will help save lives.
“I think we can all agree that’s something to celebrate in the New Year,” he said.