New OSHA Rule Changes Employers’ Injury/Illness Reporting RequirementsOn September 11, 2014, OSHA issued a final rule regarding employers’ recordkeeping and reporting of occupational injuries/illnesses. The final rule takes effect on January 1, 2015, and includes a few changes from current requirements:OSHA has now adopted the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) in referencing industry codes for recordkeeping purposes (in place of the prior Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system).The final rule maintains the requirement that employers report occupational fatalities to OSHA within eight hours.The final rule changes the requirement for reporting hospitalizations and now requires that employers report to OSHA within 24 hours of the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees or an employee’s amputation, or an employee’s loss of any eye from a work-related incident.The new rule also provides that the OSHA report can be submitted, as in the past, by telephone to the OSHA toll-free number (+ 1 800 321 OSHA) or to the OSHA area office closest to the site of the incident or through a new method — electronic submission by using the application located on OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.reprint and compliments to: Gregory Dale | Faegre Baker Daniels