Previously, employers had to report the following events to OSHA:
- All work-related fatalities
- All work-related hospitalizations of three or more employees
Now, employers have to report the following events to OSHA:
- All work-related fatalities
- All work-related in-patient hospitalizations of one or more employees
- All work-related amputations
- All work-related losses of an eye
Employers must report work-related fatalities within eight 8 hours of finding out about it.
For any in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss employers must report the incident within twenty-four (24) hours of learning about it.
Only fatalities occurring within 30 days of the work-related incident must be reported to OSHA. Further, for an inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye, then incidents must be reported to OSHA only if they occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident.
Employers have three options for reporting the event:
- By telephone to the nearest OSHA Area Office during normal business hours.
- By telephone to the 24-hour OSHA hotline (1-800-321-OSHA or 1-800-321-6742).
- OSHA is developing a new means of reporting events electronically, which will be released soon and accessible on OSHA’s website.
Employers reporting a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye to OSHA MUST report the following information:
- Establishment name
- Location of the work-related incident
- Time of the work-related incident
- Type of reportable event (i.e., fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye)
- Number of employees who suffered the event
- Names of the employees who suffered the event
- Contact person and his or her phone number
- Brief description of the work-related incident
Employers do NOT have to report an event if it:
- Resulted from a motor vehicle accident on a public street or highway, except in a construction work zone; employers MUST report the event if it happened in a construction work zone.
- Occurred on a commercial or public transportation system (airplane, subway, bus, ferry, street car, light rail, train).
- Occurred 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 in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.
Employers do NOT have to report an in-patient hospitalization if it was for diagnostic testing or observation ONLY. An in-patient hospitalization is defined as a formal admission to the in-patient service of a hospital or clinic for care or treatment.
Employers do have to report an in-patient hospitalization due to a heart attack, if the heart attack resulted from a work-related incident.