1. John Smith sustained a reportable injury. According to OSHA (2014a), the basic requirements in recording injuries or illnesses are work-related incidents that result in death, loss of consciousness, restricted work, transfer, days off from work, and receipt of medical treatment apart from first aid (OSHA, 2014a).
In John’s situation, he sprained his ankle within his working environment. Moreover, his sprain caused him work restriction as he could not step through his foot and would have to come to work on crutches the following day.
2. The case of William Kane is not a reportable injury. Although his eye injury happened while he was working, he was able to receive first aid through the eyewash, which effectively alleviated his pain, enabling him to continue working normally.
It is important to note that the basic requirement states that an injury is reportable when the individual receives treatment other than the first aid. Furthermore, first aid is defined as the first response to the injury or illness that medical professionals administer. Other than the eyewash, first aid also includes some of the diagnostic tests such as blood tests and x-ray (Korpella, 2014). William was merely given a simple procedure, yet he already felt better. Thus, he wouldn’t be required to undergo further treatment.
3a. Karen Kite’s case would be classified as “job transfer or restriction”. She would be away from work for 5 days. Plus, she would be restricted from working and in turn, would do light duty for 14 days. Since she broke her left arm, it would be considered an injury. Thus, the box that would be checked is the first box indicating “injury”.
3b. An injury or illness is considered work-related when the injury or illness is a consequence of a certain incident during the working period of the employee. It is also possible that the employee becomes exposed to contagious illnesses in their working environment. This extends to crucially aggravating the pre-existing condition of an employee through the working environment. It is important to note that an incident or exposure leading to injury or illness is only considered work-related when the individual is present at the workplace as an employee at the time of the injury (Korpella, 2014).
An OSHA Summary contains the total number of work-related injuries and illnesses that are recorded in a year. It requires that each record be logged on the Form 300. Moreover, the data about the average number of employees and the total working hours in a year must be considered. The Summary must be posted not later than February 1 from a year that follows the record coverage. It must be kept posted until April 30 (OSHA, 2014b).
Whenever there is a question about filling out the OSHA Log, anyone may contact an OSHA office that is designated in the area. Nonetheless, it is important to note that the ones who must fill out the OSHA Log are the employers. The employers include the company executives, owners of the company in the case of sole proprietorship or partnership, officers of the corporation, the highest-ranking official or the employee’s immediate supervisor who works in the establishment (OSHA, 2014b).
In the case of a staffing agency that sends temporary employees to a business, the host employer is the one responsible for recording injuries and illnesses in the OSHA form. The host employer pertains to the joint entity of the staffing agency and the staffing firm client (OSHA, 2014c).
References
Korpella, R. (2014). What is an OSHA Recordable accident? Hearst Newspapers, LLC. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/osha-recordable-accident-6834.html
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (2014a). General recording criteria. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p _id=9638
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (2014b). Annual summary. Retrieve from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p _id=12776
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (2014c). Injury and illness record keeping requirements. OSHA: Temporary Worker Initiative. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/temp_workers/OSHA_TWI_Bulletin.pdf
