Now that 2015 is drawing to a close, I wanted to share our experiences on how the new 2015 reporting procedures were handled by OSHA. As you know, the new reporting standards that went into affect as of January were as follows.
The Employer must directly contact OSHA should any of the following take place:
The Employer must directly contact OSHA should any of the following take place:
- Any SINGLE employee admittance into the hospital
- Any injury classified as an amputation w/in 24hrs of the incident
- Any severe eye injury (loss of an eye or severe damage to the eye)
That being said, we have also seen them look for opportunities where these new reporting policies were not followed. In a recent case, OSHA has fined a local company over $100,000 for not reporting 3 hospitalizations that took place at their facility earlier this summer. OSHA only found out because of an employee complaint that conditions continued to be unsatisfactory after the incident. To be clear, OSHA will vigorously come after any employer that fails to report any of these incidents. Not only did this above employer receive a severe penalty, they were placed on a newer "OSHA watch list" called "The Severe Violator Enforcement Program." Basically put, this is a list you do NOT want to land on. This will get you guaranteed onsite visits for months and likely years to follow. Also, there is no apparent end as to when they decide you no longer belong on this list (i.e. literal years under the microscopeopening you up to future fines and penalties).
In closing, with the hundreds of companies we work with, we found that OSHA has in fact kept their promise to conduct onsite investigations of these reports. Not only that, but we have also seen site visits increasing from employee complaints. What may have been inquiring letters from OSHA in the recent past, have now increased to a boots on the ground approach.
As an SSG client or partner, we want to continue to share our direct experiences with OSHA. However, OSHA aside, we want to continue to encourage you to keep your workplace safe from all known hazards in order that you and your employees can continue to experience a high quality of life that is not known by those severely injured in the workplace. We greatly look forward to partnering with you on this endeavor in 2016! Here's to a great 2016!
In closing, with the hundreds of companies we work with, we found that OSHA has in fact kept their promise to conduct onsite investigations of these reports. Not only that, but we have also seen site visits increasing from employee complaints. What may have been inquiring letters from OSHA in the recent past, have now increased to a boots on the ground approach.
As an SSG client or partner, we want to continue to share our direct experiences with OSHA. However, OSHA aside, we want to continue to encourage you to keep your workplace safe from all known hazards in order that you and your employees can continue to experience a high quality of life that is not known by those severely injured in the workplace. We greatly look forward to partnering with you on this endeavor in 2016! Here's to a great 2016!
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