Under Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s rules, private-sector employers must fulfill tougher reporting requirements for injuries on the job. Now, employers have to report all work-related deaths within eight hours and give notification of any eye losses, amputations, and inpatient hospitalizations within 24 hours of discovery.
The new requirements went into effect on January 1. Employers can report an incident either by calling the closest OSHA area office, contacting the OSHA hotline, or submitting a report online.
Previous to that, employees had to notify the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration of all workplace deaths or when at least three workers injured in the same incident were hospitalized.
According to OSHA’s Dr. David Michaels, who is the assistant secretary of labor, the reporting requirements were created to help save lives. Hopefully, workers and employers will become more able to more easily identify serious hazards on the job. Even employers in specific low-harm industries who are partly exempt from routinely maintaining OSHA illness and injury records must now abide by the tougher reporting requirements.
In 2013, 4,404 U.S. workers were killed while doing their job.
Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation
If you are a worker that was seriously injured on the job you should file your Massachusetts workers’ compensation claim right away. You should also speak with a Boston work injury lawyer who can make sure that you are getting all of the benefits that you are owed for your injuries. Loved ones who have lost a family member in a work accident or because of a work-related disease may be entitled to death benefits.
Unfortunately, disputes may arise between an injured worker and an employer over whether or not benefits are owed. That’s just one of the reasons you want to make sure you have an experienced legal representative looking out for you. If other parties that were not your employer were involved, you may be able to file a third-party Massachusetts personal injury claim for damages.
Depending on the severity of your work injury, you may not be able to return to your job for a while, if ever again. Obtaining the benefits and compensation you are owed could help offset some of the costs and losses. Your recovery and well-being is important during this challenging time.
Contact Altman & Altman, LLP today.
OSHA announces new requirements for reporting severe injuries and updates list of industries exempt from record-keeping requirements, OSHA, September 11, 2014
Stricter OSHA reporting rules set to take effect, Providence Journal, January 3, 2015
More Blog Posts:
Domestic Workers in Massachusetts Soon to Get Employment and Labor Protections, Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Blog, December 27, 2014
Ruling in Cruise Ship Injury Case Could Determine Whether Medical Malpractice Damages Could Finally Come Into Play, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, January 9, 2015
Lipitor Injury Lawsuit Against Pfizer Blame Drug for Diabetes, Massachusetts Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, January 9, 2015