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 this survey. The study found that employers did indeed under-report injuries, largely because they either did not comply with or did not understand OSHA’s record-keeping 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 Jan. 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.

As compliance specialists, we stay abreast of OSHA and other regulations affecting your workplace. For more information on your reporting requirements and other OSHA regulations that might apply to your organization, please contact the Programs Department at EPIC, Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, at (800) 234-6363 or visit epicbrokers.com.