Recent Study Reveals:

Employers Do Not Understand OSHA’s Recordkeeping Requirements

This is very relevant to the Pest Control industry, so please take note!

Every year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses. The survey tracks fatal and nonfatal occupational illnesses and injuries requiring days away from work. It reports the type of injury, occupational class of the injured worker and other information that can help employers focus on potential problem areas.

A study titled "Exploring the Relationship between Employer Recordkeeping and Underreporting in the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses" sought to gauge the accuracy of this survey. The study found that employers did indeed underreport injuries, largely because they either did not comply with or did not understand OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements.

The study’s authors estimated that the BLS survey underestimated injuries by 38 percent due largely to employer error. Specifically:

• 8.4 percent of employers kept no records at all. Of these, half were exempt, but the others should have kept records.
• Most of the employers that maintained OSHA records did not understand what to record. Half included all workers’ compensation claims, all workplace injuries and illnesses that resulted in a medical visit, or all reported injuries regardless of severity.

To clarify what employers must report, OSHA states that, as of January 1, 2015, all employers must report:

• All work-related fatalities within 8 hours.
• All work-related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations and all losses of an eye within 24 hours. 

You can report these to OSHA by:

·Calling OSHA’s free and confidential number at 1-800-321-OSHA (6742).

• Calling or visiting the nearest OSHA area office during normal business hours.

As compliance specialists, we stay abreast of OSHA and other regulations affecting your workplace. For more information on your reporting requirements and other OSHA regulations that might apply to your organization, please contact the PCOC Insurance Program department of EPIC at (877) 860-7378 or, email us @ ProPest@epicbrokers.com. Also check out:www.pcocinsurance.com