OSHA Changes to Employer Injury, Fatalities Reporting Requirements
Santa Ana employment lawyers believe that the new rules that were issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration last month will dramatically increase the number of injuries that an employer must report to the agency. The new rules will even apply to those California employers, who are currently not required to maintain illness or injury records.
According to the new rule, employers must notify the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of any workplace fatalities that occur within their premises within eight hours. Employers are also required to report all injuries that result in hospitalization, and any injury that results in loss of limbs, or loss of an eye, within 24 hours of the injury occurring.
Those fatalities and injuries must be reported by phone to the nearest Occupational Safety and Health Administration office, during business hours. Employers can also use the 24-hour hotline established by the federal agency to report fatalities and injuries after business hours. The agency is also currently the process of developing an electronic reporting method for reporting injuries and illnesses in the workplace. If you are a California employer, Santa Ana employment lawyers believe that you have even more incentive to reduce the risk of worker injury. All data that is accumulated as a result of the new rules will reflect on the agency website.
Those rules have been designed to encourage employers to take immediate action whenever employees suffer injuries, and to reduce the risk of such injuries in their workplace.
All employers must adhere to these rules, even those who are currently not required to maintain injury records. Any employer who is covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act must now comply with the new injury and illness reporting requirements.
The new rule is expected to go into effect on January 1, 2015 for all workplaces that are under federal jurisdiction. States that have their own safety programs are also being encouraged to implement the same severe requirements on employers.
