Injury Reporting and Regulatory Requirements

It's never a fun thing when somebody in your workplace experiences an accident on the job. Accidents and injuries happen in all industries that require a lot of physical work and stamina, and the petroleum industry is no exception. It's how we respond to an injury that makes all the difference in preventing future accidents.

Prompt injury reporting to OSHA is a regulatory requirement that must be taken care of as soon as possible. If the injury results in a fatality, you only have an eight-hour window of time to report the injury to OSHA. This is true even if the accident results in a fatality later on. All deaths within 30 days of a work-related incident must be reported.

Employers with more than ten employees and whose establishments are not classified as a partially exempt industry must record work-related injuries and illnesses using OSHA forms. These forms must be submitted within a very specific time frame.

If you are not exempt, you must record all work-related injuries and illnesses that result in time off from work, restricted work and even in transfers to another job, such as some time behind a desk instead of in the field. Any loss of consciousness or medical treatment beyond first aid must be recorded in company records and reported to OSHA.

Employers are also expected to record significant work-related injuries or illnesses that are diagnosed by a physicians or medical team, even if they don't cause time away from the job.
What does OSHA considered to be an injury? Pretty much anything: this includes cuts, sprains, broken bones, and amputations and of course anything requiring surgery. Work-related illnesses include both acute and chronic conditions, and usually involve long-term exposure to toxins and contaminants. These include skin diseases, respiratory disorders, and sometimes even poisoning such as solvent intoxication.

Some injuries are considered serious enough to merit reporting within 24 hours. These typically include work-related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and injuries resulting in the loss of an eye.

Regulatory requirements are often easy to meet when you're using an integrated reporting solution to manage the paperwork. For more information on how Accupoint can help streamline your injury reporting process, please contact us at 800.563.6250 or visit us at www.accupointsoftware.com.