January 1, 2015 – New OSHA Reporting Requirements for Employers

by | Dec 11, 2014

On January 1, 2015, there will be a change to what covered employers are required to report to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). According to the new requirements, employers will now be required to report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding about the accident.

Currently, employers are required to report all workplace fatalities when three or more workers are hospitalized in the same incident. According to the drafters, the 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. Employers have three options for reporting these severe incidents to OSHA.

1. call their nearest area office during normal business hours,
2. call the 24-hour OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742), or
3. report online at https://www.osha.gov/report_online.

For more information on OSHA’s new reporting requirements, please contact Robert Seybert at rseybert@baylorevnen.com or any of the firm’s employment attorneys at (402) 475-1075.