The Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) is charged with ensuring that all employers provide a safe workplace for their employees. Under federal law, all employers, regardless of size or industry type, must report to OSHA all fatal work-related accidents and work-related hospitalizations of 3 or more employees.
Starting January 1, 2015, all employers will be required to report work-related fatalities within 8 hours and all in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye within 24 hours of finding out about the incident.
Employers have 3 options for reporting these incidents to OSHA:
- Call the regional OSHA office in Atlanta at 678-237-0400
- Call the 24-hour OSHA hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742)
- Report online at osha.gov/report_online
Under Florida law, employers must also report all workplace fatalities to the Florida Division of Workers’ Compensation by calling 800-219-8953. Alternatively, employers can fax a First Report of Injury form containing the fatality information to 850-413-1980.
In addition to these reporting requirements, employers who have workers’ compensation insurance are also required to report all workplace injuries to their workers’ compensation insurance company. By law, employees are required to report work-related injuries to their employer no later than 30 days after they happen. Employers must then report work-related injuries to their insurance company within 7 days after learning of the injury. Late reporting of claims to your insurance carrier can result in the state assessing penalties and holding the employer responsible for paying part of the injured employee’s benefits.
Employers should report all claims from employees to the employer’s insurance company, including claims in which there are no witnesses of the injury or illness. It is the insurance company’s responsibility to then investigate all claims and determine if employees are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
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Bob Lancaster Insurance
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