Treatment FAQ

injuries are reported to osha only when they require medical treatment

by Lorine Crist Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago

Injury or illness which requires medical treatment beyond first aid, transfer to another job or restricted work, days away from work or loss of consciousness, as well as one that causes death are considered as recordable injury or illness as per OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. Congress established the agency under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which President Richard M. Nixon signed into law on December 29, 1970. OSHA's mission is to …

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Full Answer

When are injuries reported to OSHA?

Injuries are reported to OSHA only when they require medical treatment, involve loss of consciousness or restriction of work or motion, or require transfer to another job. A measure of the number of injuries, illnesses, or lost workdays as it relates to a common base rate of 100 full-time employees is called the ________ rate. a.

What is considered a work related injury under OSHA?

Any work-related diagnosed case of cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured or cracked bones or teeth, and punctured eardrums. There are also special recording criteria for work-related cases involving: needlesticks and sharps injuries; medical removal; hearing loss; and tuberculosis. How does OSHA define first aid?

How do I record an injury or illness on the OSHA 300?

When an injury or illness involves restricted work or job transfer but does not involve death or days away from work, you must record the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log by placing a check mark in the space for job transfer or restriction and an entry of the number of restricted or transferred days in the restricted workdays column.

What are the recording requirements of the workplace injury standard?

The recording requirements of the standard dictate that employers record (1) new cases of (2) work-related injuries and illnesses that occur during the year and that result in (3) loss of consciousness, restricted work activity or job transfer, days away from work, or (4) diagnosis or medical treatment beyond first aid.

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When should injuries be reported to OSHA?

All employers must report workplace-related fatalities and serious injuries to OSHA. In most cases, that means recordable workplace incidents need to be reported, frequently within hours. Fatalities must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours. Serious injuries must be reported to OSHA within 24 hours.

What injuries are reportable to OSHA?

All employers are required to notify OSHA when an employee is killed on the job or suffers a work-related hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. A fatality must be reported within 8 hours. An in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss must be reported within 24 hours.

Is medical treatment a recordable incident to OSHA?

Yes. However, once medical treatment is provided for a work-related injury or illness, or days away from work or work restriction have occurred, the case is recordable.

How does OSHA define care or treatment?

OSHA defines medical treatment as the management and care of a patient to combat a disease or disorder. OSHA's definition of medical treatment does not include visits to a physician or other licensed health care professional solely for observation, counseling, diagnostic procedures or first aid.

What injuries are reportable?

Types of reportable injuryfractures, other than to fingers, thumbs and toes.amputations.any injury likely to lead to permanent loss of sight or reduction in sight.any crush injury to the head or torso causing damage to the brain or internal organs.serious burns (including scalding) which:More items...•

What types of incidents need to be reported?

When should an incident be reported? All incidents, near-misses and injuries should be reported immediately. The incident reporting process will determine the follow-up required, if any. The employee should not have to make a guess as to whether “their issue or incident” is worthy of an incident report.

Is medical treatment case recordable?

A case is OSHA recordable if it involves medical treatment beyond First Aid or diagnosis of a significant injury or illness.

What is medical treatment case in safety?

A medical treatment case is any injury sustained on the job by an employee which requires medical treatment from a professional physician or qualified paramedic. It does not include on the job first aid treatment.

Does physical therapy make an injury OSHA recordable?

Work-related minor musculoskeletal discomfort treated with therapeutic exercise constitutes a recordable case. Thank you for your interest in occupational safety and health.

What counts as medical treatment?

“Medical treatment” means all procedures for diagnosing, or treating any physical or mental illness, infirmity or defect.

What's considered a medical treatment?

Medical treatment means the management and care of a patient to combat disease or disorder. Medical treatment includes: All treatment not otherwise excluded (below). Using prescription medications, or use of a non-prescription drug at prescription strength.

What does OSHA consider first aid treatment?

First aid can include cleaning minor cuts, scrapes, or scratches; treating a minor burn; applying bandages and dressings; the use of non-prescription medicine; draining blisters; removing debris from the eyes; massage; and drinking fluids to relieve heat stress.

How many states have OSHA?

Currently, in 21 States and 2 territories, the State government has been granted authority to operate a State OSHA Plan covering both the private and public (State and local government) sectors under section 18 of the OSH Act (see the State Plan section of this preamble for a listing of these States).

When did OSHA start exempting employers from record keeping?

In October 1972, an exemption from most of the recordkeeping requirements was put in place for employers with seven or fewer employees. In 1977, OSHA amended the rule to exempt employers with 10 or fewer employees, and that exemption has continued in effect to this day...

What is the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970?

1590 et seq ., 29 U.S. 651 et seq .), as amended. The definitions contained in section (3) of the Act and related interpretations shall be applicable to such terms when used in this Part 1904. Employee.

Does OSHA require temporary workers to be identified?

In some cases, identifying temporary or contract workers may help an employer to manage safety and health more effectively. Thus an employer may supplement the OSHA Log to identify temporary or contract workers, although the rule does not require it...

Does OSHA have additional guidance?

The questions and answers in the Additional guidance portion of this document do not themselves impose enforceable recordkeeping or reporting obligations; such obligations are imposed only by the regulation. OSHA has developed additional guidance to help employers comply with the recordkeeping requirements.

What is an injury?

Under the final rule, an injury or illness is an abnormal condition or disorder. Injuries include cases such as, but not limited to, a cut, fracture, sprain, or amputation. Illnesses include both acute and chronic illnesses, such as, but not limited to, a skin disease, respiratory disorder, or systemic poisoning.

Is an epileptic seizure a work related event?

Injuries and illnesses that result solely from non-work-related events or exposures are not recordable under the exception in section 1904.5 (b) (2) (ii). Epileptic seizures are a symptom of a disease of non-occupational origin, and the fact that they occur at work does not make them work-related.

How long does an employer have to report a fatality to OSHA?

The employer must report the fatality within eight hours of the employee’s death in cases where the death occurs within 30 days of the incident.

When was the OSHA recordkeeping rule revised?

Detailed Frequently Asked Questions for OSHA’s Injury and Illness Recordkeeping Rule. Since the publication of the revised rule in January 2001, OSHA has received numerous questions about how the provisions of the new rule will affect the recording and reporting of injuries and illnesses in various situations.

What is the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard?

The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard states: “The requirement to establish and maintain a sharps injury log shall apply to any employer who is required to maintain a log of occupational injuries and illnesses under 29 CFR 1904.”.

What is safety record?

Safety Records: Recording Work-Related Illness and Injury. Each employer is required by OSHA to keep records of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.

What is work relatedness in safety records?

As you can see from the exceptions above, determining work-relatedness is the key to ensuring you’re recording everything you need to in your safety records. There must be a causal connection between the employment and the illness or injury before the case is recordable.

What is work related case?

A case is work-related any time an event or exposure in the work environment either causes or contributes to an injury or illness or significantly aggravates a pre-existing injury or illness unless one of the exceptions in section 1904.5 (b) (2) applies.

Do employers have to report work related injuries?

Employers are required to let employees know how and when to report work-related injuries and illnesses. This means that the employer must set up a way for the employees to report work-related injuries and illnesses and tell its employees how to use it.

How long do you have to report OSHA injuries?

§ 1904, requires that certain employers track work-related injuries and illnesses of their employees throughout the year, post the summaries of those injuries at the end of the year, maintain records for five years and report to OSHA work-related deaths and hospitalizations of three or more employees. This Alert will identify the employers who must comply with the standard and provide a simplified guide for employers to use in conjunction with the standard in order to understand the requirements. The posting requirements were addressed in a January 2012 Alert, OSHA Alert - February 1 Deadline for OSHA 300-A.

How long do you have to report a fatality to OSHA?

All employers must report to OSHA within eight hours of learning of it, any workplace fatality or the hospitalization of three or more employees which occurs within 30 days of a workplace incident.

What injuries must be recorded?

Diagnosed significant injuries or illnesses, such as work-related cancer, chronic irreversible diseases, fractured or cracked bones, or punctured eardrums, must always be recorded even if they do not result in days away from work or restricted or job transfer. Other Recordable Incidents.

Is an injury or illness work related?

An injury or illness is work-related if an event or exposure in the workplace either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre -existing condition. Pre-existing conditions from non work-related activities occurring outside the workplace do not have to be recorded.

Is a standard threshold shift recordable?

If a worker experiences a Standard Threshold Shift in his hearing, per the occupational noise standard, 29 CFR § 1910.95, that would be recordable. If a worker had an occupational exposure to tuberculosis and subsequently developed tuberculosis that would be recordable. EXAMPLES.

Can a doctor provide first aid?

Whether something is first aid or medical treatment is determined by a strict definition in the standard, which does not consider who is providing the treatment, i.e., a doctor can provide first aid and a nurse can provide medical treatment.

Is a first aid injury recordable?

Conversely, any injury that does require medical treatment even if there is no restricted activity or days away from work is recordable.

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