Per OSHA’s updated injury and illness reporting standards, all employers must report all work related fatalities within 8 hours and all work related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations, and all losses of an eye within 24 hours. Fatalities occurring within 30 days of the incident must be reported, and amputations must be reported if they occur within 24 hours. OSHA has defined amputations as “the traumatic loss of a limb or other external body part. Amputations include a part, such as a limb or appendage that has been severed, cut off, or amputated (either completely or partially); fingertip amputations with or without bone loss; medical amputations resulting from irreparable damage; and amputations of body parts that have since been reattached. Amputations do not include avulsions (tissue torn away from the body), enucleations (removal of the eyeball), 
deglovings (skin torn away from the underlying tissue), scalpings (removal of the scalp), severed ears, or broken or chipped teeth.” Employers must report to OSHA by calling OSHA’s free and confidential number (800-321-OSHA), or by calling the closest area office. An online form is underway for electronic reporting.
Employers in low hazard industries are exempt from routine recording of OSHA injury and illnesses. Since 1982, this list has included finance, insurance, real estate, and other service industries. A new list of partially exempt industries can be found within the updated recordkeeping regulations.
Employers also do not have to report an event if it resulted from a motor vehicle accident on a public street or highway, unless it occurs in a construction work zone. Incidents occurring on a commercial or public transportation system may not be required to be reported by employers. Employers are not permitted to delay their report more than 30 days after the work-related incident in the case of a fatality or more than 24 hours after the work-related incident in the case of an inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye. Employers do not have to report a hospitalization if it was for diagnostic testing or observation. Additionally, it is not required to report an inpatient hospitalization due to a heart attack, even if the heart attack resulted from a work-related incident.
All of these changes take effect as of January 1, 2015.
