Department of Consumer and Business Services
Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division - Chapter 437
Division 1
RULES FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE OREGON SAFE EMPLOYMENT ACT
437-001-0704
Reporting Fatalities, Catastrophes, Injuries and Illnesses to Oregon OSHA
(1) Purpose. This rule requires employers to report certain work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.
NOTE: Reporting a work-related injury, illness, or fatality does not assign fault to anybody, does not prove the violation of an OSHA rule, and does not establish the employee’s eligibility for workers’ compensation or other benefits.
(2) Scope. This standard covers all employers covered by the Oregon Safe Employment Act.
(3) You must report fatalities and catastrophes to Oregon OSHA only in person or by telephone within 8 hours of occurrence or employer knowledge (reported to you or any of your agents) of a fatality or catastrophe:
(a) Fatalities. You must report all work-related fatalities. You must report all fatalities caused by a heart attack at work. Report a fatality only if death occurs within 30 days of the incident.
NOTE: Work-related fatalities include those caused by a motor vehicle accident that happens during the employee’s work shift.
(b) Catastrophe. A catastrophe is an incident in which two or more employees are fatally injured, or three or more employees are admitted to a hospital or an equivalent medical facility (for example, a clinic) as a result of the same incident.
(4) You must report in-patient hospitalizations, loss of an eye, and either amputations or avulsions that result in bone loss, to Oregon OSHA within 24 hours after occurrence of the work related incident or employer knowledge (reported to you or any of your agents) of the event. When an amputation, avulsion, or loss of an eye involves in-patient hospitalization, you need only to make a single report.
(a) In-Patient Hospitalization. In-patient hospitalization is the formal admission to the in-patient service of a hospital or clinic for care or medical treatment (includes first-aid). Hospitalization for observation only is not reportable, nor is emergency room treatment. In-patient hospitalization for any reason after emergency room treatment is reportable. You must report all incidents that result in in-patient hospitalization, including heart attacks and motor vehicle accidents. Report in-patient hospitalizations only if they occur within 24 hours of the incident that caused the hospitalization.
(b) Loss of an eye. Report the loss of an eye only if it occurs within 24 hours of the incident that caused the loss.
(c) Amputations and avulsions.
(A) An amputation is the traumatic loss of a limb or other external body part, including a fingertip. Amputations include loss of a body part due to a traumatic incident, a gunshot wound, and medical amputations due to irreparable traumatic injuries.
(B) An avulsion is the tearing away or forcible separation of any body part by trauma.
(C) Report an amputation or avulsion only if it includes bone and/or cartilage loss.
(D) Report an amputation or avulsion only if it occurs within 24 hours of the incident that caused the amputation or avulsion.
NOTE: There are additional reporting requirements for injuries relating to Mechanical Power Presses, 1910.217(g). Oregon OSHA Office locations and telephone numbers are: Table 1 (attached).
[ED. NOTE: To view attachments referenced in rule text, click here for PDF copy.]
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 654.025(2) & 656.726(4)
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 654.001 - 654.295
History:
OSHA 5-2018, amend filed 11/29/2018, effective 12/17/2018
OHSA 2-2015, f. 3-18-15, cert. ef. 1-1-16