New rules for reporting severe injuries on the job site will take effect from next month.
From January 1, 2015, contractors must comply with new deadlines and requirements for reporting severe injuries on the jobsite.
The rule will be effective for all employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) – even those who are exempt from maintaining injury and illness records.Contractors will now be required to notify OSHA within eight hours if there is a work-related fatality on the job and within 24 hours when an employee suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye.
Before, the rule stated that an employer only had to report work-related fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations of three or more employees. Now, employers will have the option to file online reports of fatalities and severe injuries and illnesses via an electronic form that is currently under development.