OSHA Reporting Requirements Change January 1st – Be Sure Your Staff is Informed!
With the new year always comes changes in the law and that includes OSHA reporting requirements for several areas in 2015. The big ones involve serious injuries and death. Of course, it’s your responsibility as the business owner to make sure that your project managers and employees know what to do in the event of any workplace injury. It’s also important to that they know who is responsible for fulfilling the OSHA reporting requirements. Neglecting to report within the allotted time frame can lead to significant fines, so it’s best to have everything in place before anything happens.
OSHA Reporting Requirements: Workplace Fatality and Serious Workplace Injuries
Under the new OSHA reporting requirements for 2015, all work related fatalities are to be reported within 8 hours. Inpatient hospital admission, amputations, and eye loss are to be reported within 24 hours of discover. Previously, the hospitalization of three or more employees in the same incident was also required to be reported within 8 hours.
Anytime you have to deal with a workplace fatality or serious injury, it’s a stressful time. You have families to notify, employees that are/were close to the employee to consider, and OSHA reporting requirements. Then there’s the fallout of figuring out what went wrong and determining how to prevent it from happening again. Here are a few more headlines from OSHA dealing with specific violations. If any of them are potentially applicable to your business, be sure to read more about it to learn what you need to do to protect your employees and your company.
If you are in a position that you need to report an incident, the easiest way is through the national OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742)
Georgia Based Tenneco Automotive Hit With Nearly $350,000 in Proposed Fines
The auto plant was cited for violations involving eight repeat violations, sixteen serious violations, and three others. The big ones involved improper machine guarding, noise, and a host of issues dealing with slip and fall, crush, struck by, and improper storage. An agency that provides temporary workers to the company was also cited for one violation.
Pennsylvania Masonry Contractor Cited for Fall Hazards
T and S Masonry in Pennsylvania is facing over $100,000 in fines for exposing employees to fall hazards. The contractor did not provide adequate protection for bricklayers at heights up to 30 feet. The fines are the result of eight repeat violations and 5 serious violations, most involving lack of fall protection, lack of proper training, and lack of proper PPE when exposed to dangerous material.
