702 Effective Accident Investigation

Reporting Accidents to OSHA

Let's look at the OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1904.39, Reporting fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye as a result of work-related incidents to OSHA, for the specific requirements.

Basic Requirements

Within 8 hours after the death of any employee as a result of a work-related accident, you must report the fatality to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor.

Within 24 hours after the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees or an employee's amputation or an employee's loss of an eye, as a result of a work-related accident, you must report the in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye to OSHA.

You must report the event using one of the following methods:

• By telephone or in person to the OSHA Area Office that is nearest to the site of the accident.
• By telephone to the OSHA toll-free central telephone number, 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742).
• By electronic submission using the reporting application located on OSHA's public website.

Information you must give OSHA for each fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye includes:

• the establishment name;
• the location of the work-related accident;
• the time of the work-related accident;
• the type of reportable event (i.e., fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye);
• the number of employees who suffered a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye;
• the names of the employees who suffered a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye;
• your contact person and his or her phone number; and
• a brief description of the work-related incident.

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