On September 11, 2014, OSHA announced a final rule which greatly expands the scope of injuries which must be reported to OSHA on an expedited basis. Currently, employers only have an affirmative obligation to report an injury/illness to OSHA under the following circumstances: a) a work-related fatality (within 8 hours); b) the hospitalization of three (3) or more employees (within 8 hours) or c) the occurrence of a point-of-operation injury on a mechanical power press (within 30 days). Under the revised standard, an employer has the following mandatory reporting obligations effective January 1, 2015:
- All work-related fatalities – within 8 hours
- All work-related in-patient hospitalizations (overnight stay not simply observation in the ER) -- within 24 hours;
- All amputations - within 24 hours; and
- All losses of an eye – within 24 hours