Study: Employers Do Not Understand OSHA’s Recordkeeping Requirements

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 the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.

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.

For more information on your reporting requirements and other OSHA regulations that might apply to your organization, please contact us.

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Study: Employers Do Not Understand OSHA’s Recordkeeping Requirements

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