A new report presented by OSHA shows that every year, tens of thousands of men and women across the United States are severely injured on the job.

A new report presented by OSHA shows that every year, tens of thousands of men and women across the United States are severely injured on the job, sometimes with permanent consequences to themselves and their families.

But until last year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lacked timely information about where and how most of those injuries were occurring, limiting how effectively the agency could respond. Too often, OSHA would investigate a fatal injury only to find a history of serious injuries at the same workplace. Each of those injuries was a wake-up call for safety that went unheeded.

Now, under a requirement that took effect Jan. 1, 2015, employers must report to OSHA within 24 hours any work-related amputation, in-patient hospitalization, or loss of eye. (The requirement to report a fatality within 8 hours was unchanged.) Injuries may be reported directly to an OSHA field office, to the OSHA toll-free number, or via an online form; details are available at www.osha.gov/report.html. OSHA instituted the new reporting requirements to:

1. Enable the agency to better target compliance assistance and enforcement efforts to places where workers are at greatest risk, and;

2. Engage more high-hazard employers in identifying and eliminating serious hazards.

According to the author of the report, David Michaels, “Experience in the field and data from more than 10,000 reports of severe injuries tell us that both goals are being met.”

To read the full report, click here.

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