Kentucky Adopts New Recording and Reporting Requirements

On September 18, 2014, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a Final Rule revising injury recording and reporting requirements. The Final Rule, which became effective January 1, 2015, extended the list of specified industries that must log all injuries or illnesses. Also under the new rule, employers are required to report any fatality to OSHA within eight hours, and any inpatient hospitalization, amputation or job-related loss of an eye within 24 hours.

Under the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1904.37, states are required to have the same requirements as Federal OSHA for determining which work-related injuries and illnesses are recordable and how they are recorded. Kentucky will adopt the list of industries identified in OSHA’s Final Rule that are partially exempt from the requirements to keep records of work-related injuries and illnesses due to low occupational injury and illness rates. The state will also adopt the requirement to report the loss of an eye. The new requirements will become effective January 1, 2016.

To help employers understand the new recording and reporting requirements, the state Labor Cabinet Division of OSH Education and Training is conducting an outreach program. There will be interactive, web-based training available 24 hours a day. Interested parties can obtain more information by visiting Kentucky Labor Cabinet’s website.

As a result of these changes, the Safety and Health on the Job posting has been reformatted and updated with the new injury reporting and recording requirements by the state’s Labor Cabinet. Compliance Poster Company is offering two options for employers to stay compliant- Kentucky All-On-One^TM Poster and Kentucky 2016 Safety and Health on the Job Peel ‘N Post^TM.