The new proposed reporting requirements would revise OSHA's current regulation that requires an employer to report to OSHA, within 8 hours, all work-related fatalities and in-patient hospitalizations of three or more employees. Under the revised proposal, employers would be required to report to OSHA any work-related fatalities and all in-patient hospitalizations within 8 hours, and work-related amputations within 24 hours. Reporting amputations is not required under the current regulation.
OSHA also proposed updating Appendix A of the recordkeeping rule (Part 1904 Subpart B) that lists industries partially exempt from the requirements to maintain work-related injury or illness logs. The agency proposed that these industries, which received partial exemption because of their relatively low injury and illness rates, should be based on the more current North American Industry Classification System instead of the Standard Industrial Classification system.
"These proposed recordkeeping updates will better enable OSHA, employers and workers to identify hazards in high-risk worksites," said OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels. "The proposed reporting revisions will enable OSHA to more effectively and efficiently target occupational safety and health hazards, preventing additional injuries and fatalities."
OSHA requests public comments on the proposed revisions. Comments must be submitted by Sept. 20. See the Federal Register.