Are Your Incident Reporting Methods Compliant with OSHA Standards?

No matter how safe the work environment, accidents are always possible. By putting the proper safety standards in place, accidents can be greatly reduced, but still happen. Do you and your employees know the proper incident reporting methods to keep your workers safe in their environment?Not only is this safety in practice, but it’s also mandated by OSHA regulations.  It’s always good to review guidelines and match your current incident reporting methods to the standards that OSHA publishes.

 

Evaluate Your Existing Incident Reporting Methods

-Does your state follow OSHA’s Standards for Reporting Incidents?

-Are your methods timely and accurate?

-Do you have follow-up procedures in place?

-Are team members knowledgeable about  the protocol for reporting workplace incidents in your absence?

Being compliant with OSHA standards is important for ensuring quality safety measures and avoiding fines. Did you know, OSHA investigations have uncovered alarming factors in which underreporting has taken place? Workers must be trained to know and fully understand the importance of complying with incident reporting methods.

What Should Be Reported?

It is necessary to report incidents as they relate to the workplace. Of course, any fatality must be reported within 8 hours. Serious injuries, including hospitalization, amputation, loss of eye, must be reported within 24 hours.

Reporting Exceptions

Some exceptions to the reporting window apply. For example, fatalities that occur 30 days after a work related injury are not required to be reported. Additionally, serious injuries that occur 24 hours after work related incident are not required to be reported.

Remember, failure to report workplace injuries can result in serious fines, so make sure that all employees are provided with the right training in incident reporting methods.

How Should Incidents Be Reported?

First of all, there are differences between federal and state requirements. States including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington are not covered by OSHA and should refer to state procedures for incident reporting.

OSHA safety standards outline the federal requirements for incident reporting. By referring to these standards, you can ensure that potential fines are avoided.

Safety Software

Safety software can be used to streamline the workflow and make reporting easier. This can allow you to create reports with all of the required information and track existing reports.  Therefore, safety software can save both time and resources.

Can Employees Be Educated in Safety and Incident Reporting?

Online courses in safety education are available at Train4Less.com. Keep your workers up to date on their training and professional growth.