Most workplace injuries are brought about by unavoidable circumstances, but in most cases, they are…
Workplace injuries happen. They are an unfortunate fact of life for those who work, and there are laws that require documentation for such injuries or illness when they do occur. The National Safety Council also recommends that companies document safety incidents that might have contributed to an accident or injury, even when no injury resulted. Thoroughly investigating these near-miss incidents is, after all, the best way to prevent actual accidents from happening in the future.
Regardless of whether an injury or illness resulting from the safety incident, the National Safety Council recommends following these steps to document the incident:
Organizations are required to complete several OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) forms for any workplace injury or illness that occurs. These forms should be on hand before any accident or incident takes place to help protect your workplace and its employees from making any mistakes when keeping records.
The main OSHA injury and illness forms that are required to be filed are:
OSHA forms are not filed with the government, but the law does require that your organization keep them on file for 5 years, in either paper or electronic format, and ensure they are available for review if OSHA inspectors request to do so. All related reports to an accident or incident should be kept on file if it leads to litigation, at least until all legal action (including appeals) has been resolved.
If you’ve been injured or subjected to an illness due to an on-the-job incident or accident in the Los Angeles, Lancaster, or Van Nuys area, don’t hesitate to reach out to our legal team at Koszdin, Fields & Sherry. We specialize in worker’s compensation workplace injuries, workplace illnesses, repetitive motion injuries, and mental health claims. One of our team members will be happy to assist you with your claim, so call to schedule your free consultation today.