Injury Reporting: “Do I Have to Report This?”

Many employers often wonder if they have to report certain injuries or incidents.  Is it a recordable or is it not?  What if they didn’t go to the doctor?  What if they received treatment?

If healthcare professionals diagnose employees with an injury or illness and the company determines that it is work-related, then OSHA says you must record the case and report the case on your OSHA Logs.

Regardless, SRP Safety Consultants recommend that you always record the injury or illness within your company’s internal reporting system.   It is good practice to keep track of all near misses on the job and take pro-active measures to ensure that the incident does not happen again.  For example, if an employee trips on an extension cord, but does not injure themselves and does not receive treatment from a doctor, then this would be considered a near miss.  The employer could discuss slips, trips and falls during a toolbox meeting following the near miss.

Recordable and Reported Injuries Breakdown

• An injury becomes a recordable if the individual was hurt on the job, goes to the doctor and receives medical attention beyond first aid.   It is not a recordable if the doctor simply sends the employee home without x-rays, prescriptions, etc.
  • Example: Employee cuts finger with a tool and goes to the doctor. The doctor determines that stitches are needed.  This would be considered a recordable.
• The injury that was recorded must be reported on your OSHA 300 Logs, but not directly to OSHA.
  • Example: The same incident where the employee cuts their finger and receives stitches is to be reported on your OSHA Logs.  Be sure to include days lost from work and days of restricted duty.  You do not need to report this incident directly to OSHA.
• An injury that results in a loss of an eye, amputation or a stay in the hospital overnight must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours.
• A fatality must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours.

Still Have Questions? Email SRP below or call us at (866) 222-4972.

SRP Safety Consultants provide site safety officer, site safety audit, and health and safety training services to companies in oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, chemical, and healthcare industries. 

Source: Safety Compliance Alert, December 11, 2017, Vol 24 No 539