OSHA’S REPORTING/RECORDKEEPING UPDATES FOR 2015
As of
January 1, 2015, all employers must report
- All work-related fatalities within 8 hours.
- All work-related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations and all losses of an eye within 24 hours.
You can report to OSHA by
- Calling OSHA's free and confidential number at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).
- Calling your closest Area Office during normal business hours.
- Using the new online form that will soon be available.
Employers under Federal OSHA's jurisdiction must begin reporting by
January 1. Establishments in a state with a State run OSHA program should
contact their state plan for the implementation date.
"OSHA will now receive crucial reports of fatalities
and severe work-related injuries and illnesses that will significantly enhance
the agency's ability to target our resources to save lives and prevent further
injury and illness. This new data will enable the agency to identify the
workplaces where workers are at the greatest risk and target our compliance
assistance and enforcement resources accordingly."
— Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety
and Health, Dr. David Michaels
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's revised
recordkeeping rule includes two key changes:
First, the rule updates the list of industries that are exempt from the
requirement to routinely keep OSHA injury and illness records, due to relatively
low occupational injury and illness rates. The previous list of industries was
based on the old Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system and injury and
illness data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from 1996, 1997, and
1998. The new list of industries that are exempt from routinely keeping OSHA
injury and illness records is based on the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS) and injury and illness data from the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) from 2007, 2008, and 2009. Note: The new rule retains
the exemption for any employer with ten or fewer employees, regardless of their
industry classification, from the requirement to routinely keep records.
Second, the rule expands the list of severe work-related injuries that
all covered employers must report to OSHA. The revised rule
retains the current requirement to report all work-related fatalities within 8
hours and adds the requirement to report all work-related in-patient
hospitalizations, amputations and loss of an eye within 24 hours to OSHA.
Establishments
located in States under Federal OSHA jurisdiction must begin to comply with the
new requirements on January 1, 2015. Establishments located in states that
operate their own safety and health programs (State Plan States) should check
with their state plan for the implementation date of the new requirements. OSHA
encourages the states to implement the new coverage provisions on 1/1/2015, but
some may not be able to meet this tight deadline.
The final rule will allow OSHA to focus its efforts more effectively to
prevent fatalities and serious work-related injuries and illnesses. The final
rule will also improve access by employers, employees, researchers and the
public to information about workplace safety and health and increase their
ability to identify and abate serious hazards.
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
- All work-related fatalities within 8 hours.
- All work-related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations and all losses of an eye within 24 hours.
You can report to OSHA by
- Calling OSHA's free and confidential number at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).
- Calling your closest Area Office during normal business hours.
- 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 an eye, these incidents must be reported to OSHA only if
they occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident.
OSHA regulations require certain employers 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 times during the previous calendar
year are exempt from routinely keeping OSHA injury and illness records. OSHA's
revised recordkeeping 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 if the three year average
lost workday case rate for their major industry group was 75 percent or less of
the overall three year average of the lost workday case rate for private
industry.
OSHA's revised recordkeeping 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 System
(NAICS), which is the standard used 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.
There are 27 states and U.S. territories that have their own
OSHA-approved occupational safety and health programs called State Plans. State
Plans are required to have standards that are at least as effective as OSHA's.
All State Plans have recordkeeping and reporting requirements in place
right now. These requirements are at least equivalent to OSHA's previous
reporting requirements for fatalities and catastrophes. In addition, several
states have different or additional requirements that may already be in line
with OSHA's revision.
All State Plans have begun reviewing their current reporting and
recordkeeping requirements to determine how they compare to OSHA's new
reporting requirements. Over the next six months, each State Plan will work to
adopt OSHA's new requirements, and may retain or adopt more stringent
requirements. To contact your State Plan about current recordkeeping and reporting
requirements, and when and how those requirements will change, please visit: https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/index.html.