Fatal work injuries have been a consistent problem throughout American workplaces almost since the beginning. Workplace safety standards have steadily improved over the years, but many workers still find themselves in desperate circumstances after sustaining a work-related injury.
One of the persistent problems is that many employers ignore or downplay certain work-related injuries and accidents, which stops employees from getting the assistance and recognition that they need, even if the injury they’ve suffered may put them out of work for a while or worse.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has recently updated its regulations, which should make it more difficult for employers to be negligent with regards to work-related injuries. When workplace accidents are fatal, employers will now need to report on them almost immediately. In these situations, they will only have eight hours to complete and submit the reports.
The families of deceased workers will receive the word about their family members almost immediately as a result of this new regulation, which can make all the difference for people that are trying to cope emotionally and financially with the loss of a loved one. The new regulations reporting fatal work injuries from the Feds & OSHA will also put employers on notice. They will have to deal with the consequences of losing an employee immediately, rather than letting any time go by.
If the injured worker survived the injury but still had to be hospitalized, employers will get 24 hours to complete and submit the report. This timetable is also especially useful for family members. Medical expenses for severely injured employees can be difficult to cope with financially, and even employees with insurance will often have to spend time and effort getting the necessary paperwork to go through. A system where everything moves faster, at least on the employer’s end, will make things go more smoothly throughout the rest of the process. A workers’ compensation attorney can assist in these matters in order to make things easier on the employee.
It wasn’t to long ago that these sorts of measures were only legally necessary in cases where at least three workers were involved in a fatal or non-fatal accident. However, even individual employees sustaining these kinds of injuries still makes a powerful statement about the safety standards of a given workplace. It shouldn’t take three employees to justify a swift and accurate medical report. These kinds of requirements more or less make it easier for employers to meet minimal safety standards, when they should be trying to provide the safest possible workplaces for their employees.
It is possible that these new regulations will lead to greater improvements down the line. Faster reporting can make all the difference under circumstances like these. Employees and employers will both be better off as a result of these efficient new timetables.
