First Aid?
Dermabond is used to close a wound
No, the use of surgical glue to close a wound is considered medical treatment.
An employee while in the work area and on duty threw a stapler at another employee and struck him in the head. The laceration required a few stitches. Would you consider this a recordable accident?
Yes. Cases involving workplace violence, horseplay etc. that occur in the work environment are considered to be work related. Since the employee got stitches, medical treatment beyond first aid, the case is recordable.
An employee finishes their shift for the day and gets in their car parked in the company owned parking lot to head home. As they exit the parking lot in their vehicle, they're T boned where ALS is dispatched and requires in-patient hospitalization resulting in medical treatment beyond first aid.
No. This would not be considered work related due to the employee is commuting from work to home.
DOI: 06/25
DOS: 07/27 Modified Duty (Prevents normal job duties)
Start Date: 07/27
DOS: 08/04 - Released to Full Duty 08/04
Restricted Duty: 07/28-08/03
An employee trips in the company owned parking lot over a curb at 4:35 PM after clocking out at 4:30 PM.
Yes - Punching in or out of a time clock does not determine the outcome for work-relatedness.
An arm sling provided as a non-rigid means of support
Yes. A non-rigid means of support is considered first aid.
A worker got his nail half broken off while handling the steel rods at a construction site. He was given first aid and the remainder of the nail was removed by a medical practitioner as a precautionary measure to avoid any infection. Is this recordable?
Yes. Removal of the nail is considered medical treatment beyond first aid. Note that drilling of the fingernail to relieve pressure for subungual hematoma is considered First Aid.
An employee has a knee injury that has not responded to conservative treatment which results in multiple surgeries. After a year, all attempts to reduce the pain in the knee fails and the employee decides the best course of action is to amputate their leg.
No - If an in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye occurs within 24 hours of the work-related incident, then you must report the event to OSHA.
DOS: 05/07/2020 - Restricted Duty (Prevents normal job duties + Accommodated)
05/07/2020 - Restricted Duty Start Date
05/09/2020 - Employee refuses to return to work
05/14/2020 - Employee is terminated for job abandonment
Restricted Duty: 05/08-05/14
An employee takes the shuttle to the Fremont Factory and falls asleep, causing the employee to slide off the seat and hitting their head on the floor resulting in a loss of consciousness.
No, the employee is commuting to work from home.
If an employee has an object in his eye that is NOT embedded, but the medic chooses to remove it with a magnet instead of a cotton swab.
No, the injury is recordable. Use of a magnet to remove an object from the eye is medical treatment, it is not included on the first aid list.
Does the repair of a crown on a person's tooth qualify as "medical treatment" for recordkeeping purposes?
No. If an employee chips or breaks a crown, it is a recordable case if it results in any of the following: medical treatment beyond first aid; restricted work activity; job transfer; loss of consciousness; or days away from work. Repair of the crown itself is not considered medical treatment. However, if the employee requires prescription medications during the repair, the case would be recordable.
A supervised temp employee loses an eye due to a work place incident.
Yes - Similar to the requirements in section 1904.31 for recording injuries and illnesses, the employer that provides the day-to-day supervision of the worker must report to OSHA any work-related incident resulting in a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye.
DOI: 06/01/2020; Placed off work until 6/15
Employee has a scheduled vacation from 6/12-6/20
DOS: 07/14/2020: Restricted duty prevents normal job
NOV: 07/29/2020 - No Show
Administrative Discharge: 8/06/2020
Lost Time: 06/02-06/14
Restricted Duty: 07/15-08/05
An employee is on their lunch break in the company owned parking lot and is crocheting a blanket when they lacerate their finger.
Yes. Even though the employee is performing personal tasks, they are on the employer's premises during the employee's assigned working hours.
Is the use of a rigid finger guard considered first aid?
Yes, the use of finger guards is always first aid.
If a local truck driver left his last stop and was heading home and had an accident and needed medical help other than first aid, would this be an OSHA recordable?
No. For OSHA recordkeeping purposes, an employee's normal commute from home to office and return would not be considered work-related. Therefore, any injury or illness occurring during this trip would not be recordable.
If an employee is hospitalized as an in-patient and the only care or treatment provided is from OSHA's "first aid list" (for example if the only treatment is non-prescription medication), does the event become reportable?
Yes. A work-related in-patient hospitalization involving any treatment needs to be reported to OSHA. The reporting requirement in the regulatory text of section 1904.39 does not limit care or treatment to "medical treatment beyond first aid."
DOI: 05/21/2020
DOS: 05/21/2020 ER Note; off work from 05/21/2020-05/25/2020.
DOS: 5/22/2020 - COS places EE on Restricted Duty; Supervisor can accommodate outside normal job duties
Next Scheduled Shift: 05/24/2020
DOS: 6/15/2020 - Full Duty
Restricted Duty: 05/22-06/14
An employee is voluntarily participating in a flex and stretch program before they begin their shift, resulting in a strained knee.
No - The injury or illness results solely from voluntary participation in a wellness program or in a medical, fitness, or recreational activity such as blood donation, physical examination, flu shot, exercise class, racquetball, or baseball.
An employee is placed on restricted duty starting on 07/17 and the supervisor does not reply within 7 days. On 7/30, the employee responds that the restrictions did not prevent normal job duties.
Yes - First Aid and line strike from the log documenting the employee can perform normal job duties.
DOS 03/16/2020: provided a rigid wrist brace.
DOI 03/16/2020: Right Wrist Strain
The employee is currently treating for a previous right wrist injury from a previous employer where restrictions/physical therapy/rigid braces was prescribed prior.
No, the employee previously experienced a recorded injury or illness of the same type that affected the same part of the body but HAS NOT recovered completely (all signs and symptoms had disappeared) from the previous injury or illness and an event or exposure in the work environment caused the signs or symptoms to reappear.
An employee is driving in a fleet vehicle that resulted in a motor vehicle accident on a highway that requires hospitalization for immediate surgery.
No, you are not required to report an incident if it:
-Resulted from a motor vehicle accident on a public street or highway (except in a construction work zone);
-Occurred on a commercial or public transportation system, such as airplane or bus;
-Involved hospitalization for diagnostic testing or observation only.
Employee: Jon Doe
DOI: 06/02: Right Ankle Strain
DOS: 06/02: Restricted Duty (prevents duties)
DOS: 07/20: Restricted Duty (prevents duties)
DOI: 07/04: Left Ankle Fracture
DOS: 07/04: placed off work until 8/4
DOS: 08/04: off work until 9/4
DOI 06/02: Restricted Duty 06/03-07/04
DOI 07/04: Lost Time 07/05-09/03
An employee gets food poisoning from food supplied at an event by the employer.
Yes - the case is considered work related.