On September 11, 2014, OSHA issued a final rule regarding employers' recordkeeping and reporting of occupational injuries/illnesses. The final rule takes effect on January 1, 2015, and includes a few changes from current requirements:
-
OSHA has now adopted the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) in referencing industry codes for recordkeeping purposes (in place of the prior Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system).
-
The final rule maintains the requirement that employers report occupational fatalities to OSHA within eight hours.
-
The final rule changes the requirement for reporting hospitalizations and now requires that employers report to OSHA within 24 hours of the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees or an employee's amputation, or an employee's loss of any eye from a work-related incident.
-
The new rule also provides that the OSHA report can be submitted, as in the past, by telephone to the OSHA toll-free number (+ 1 800 321 OSHA) or to the OSHA area office closest to the site of the incident or through a new method — electronic submission by using the application located on OSHA's website at www.osha.gov.