As of January 1, 2015, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (“OSHA”) has updated requirements regarding an employer’s responsibility to report any workplace injuries or deaths. While serious workplace injuries are rare, it is important that all employers are aware of their responsibilities under OSHA, should tragedy occur.

Under the new requirements, if an employee is killed as a result of a work-related incident, the employer must report the fatality to OSHA within eight (8) hours of the incident. If an employee is injured in a work-related incident and requires in-patient hospitalization or if an employee’s injury results in amputation or loss of an eye, the employer must notify OSHA within twenty-four (24) hours of the incident. A company may be fined if they fail to notify OSHA within the time limits. These reporting requirements are in addition to the mandatory logs that all employers must maintain of any work-related injuries. For copies of necessary forms, you may contact OSHA through its website at www.osha.com or the toll-free central telephone number: 1-800-321-6742. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact Golan & Christie.