OSHA Updates Guidance on Reporting Work-related COVID-19 Deaths and Hospitalizations

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its COVID-19 guidance “regarding reporting employees’ in-patient hospitalizations and fatalities resulting from work-related cases of the coronavirus.” Employers must now report work-related COVID-19 deaths to OSHA within eight hours of learning about it, Construction Dive reports.

OSHA requires that employers must also report any in-patient hospitalizations related to workplace exposure within 24 hours of the work-related incident. According to the agency, the term “incident” in the updated guidance is defined clearer as workplace exposure to the coronavirus. The updated guidance is the latest effort by OSHA to provide employers and employees with additional information on how the agency will enforce its standards and regulations during the pandemic.