New OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting Rule

OSHA’s injury and illness recordkeeping rule (CFR 1904) has been revised and the new rule took effect January 1, 2015. The two sections of revision of most impact are the reporting subpart and appendix list of exempt industries. The new rule now requires employers to report fatalities within 8 hours of finding out about it, hospitalizations of one or more employees (previously it was three or more), and new to the rule is the requirement for reporting all work related amputations and all work related losses of an eye. An OSHA fact sheet on the complete rule revisions is available at:  https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014/OSHA3744.pdf. Another change that occurred within the revised 1904 rule is that OSHA updated the list of industries that are exempt from maintaining the injury and illness records. The updated list still includes the exemption for employers with ten or fewer employees from having to maintain these records unless requested. The new list can be found at: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=12791.