On September 11, 2014, the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new rule that will go into effect on January 1, 2015. Whereas in the past, OSHA only required employers to report deaths and incidents that caused the in-patient hospitalization of 3 or more employees, within 8 hours, the new rule will require employers to report all work-related hospitalizations, amputations, and/or loss of an eye within 24 hours of the event causing the hospitalization, amputation or loss of eye regardless of the number of employees involved and/or whether a fatality occurs.
The new rule will also change the industries that are partially exempted from reporting workplace injury and illness data from those that have a DART (Days Away, Restriction, or Transfer rate) of 2.325 to those with a DART rate of 1.5.
The changes in reporting hospitalizations will dramatically increase the number of reportable events thus increasing the exposure of employers to OSHA inspections.
The new rule will also change the industries that are partially exempted from reporting workplace injury and illness data from those that have a DART (Days Away, Restriction, or Transfer rate) of 2.325 to those with a DART rate of 1.5.
The changes in reporting hospitalizations will dramatically increase the number of reportable events thus increasing the exposure of employers to OSHA inspections.