Table 1 2002 OSHA rule change: defining recordable cases*.
| Old rule | New rule | Expected effect on reporting | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any aggravation of a pre‐existing condition by a workplace event or exposure makes the case work‐related | Significant aggravation of a pre‐existing condition by a workplace event or exposure makes the case work‐related. Significant injuries include those resulting in death, loss of consciousness, more than 1 day of lost/restricted/transferred work or a medical treatment for a new or change in injury/illness | Decrease | ||
| Addition of “significant” reduces reporting of minor injuries | ||||
| Events exempt from reporting under old rule: | Events exempt from reporting under new rule: | Decrease | ||
| 1) Member of the general public2) Symptoms arising on premises totally due to outside factors3) Parking lot/recreational facility | 1) Member of the general public2) Symptoms arising on premises totally due to outside factors3) Voluntary participation in wellness programme4) Eating, drinking and preparing one's own food5) Personal tasks outside working hours6) Personal grooming, self‐medication, self infliction7) Motor vehicle accident in parking lot/access road during commute8) Cold or flu9) Mental illness unless employee voluntarily presents a medical opinion stating that the employee has a mental illness that is work‐related | Criteria more exclusive | ||
| Motor vehicle crashes are a major source of occupational injuries | ||||
| New case includes any new event or exposure | Aggravation of a case where signs or symptoms have not resolved is a continuation of the original case | Decrease | ||
| All work‐related illnesses are recordable | Work‐related illnesses are recordable if they meet the general recording criteria | Decrease | ||
| Needs to be “significant” illness | ||||
| Restricted work activity occurs if the employee: | Restricted work activity occurs if the employee: | Decrease | ||
| 1) Cannot work a full shift2) Cannot perform all of his or her normal job duties, defined as any duty he or she would be expected to do throughout the calendar year | 1) Cannot work a full shift2) Cannot perform all of his or her routine job functions, defined as any duty he or she regularly performs at least once a week | Change to “routine” allows broader definition of job description | ||
| Restricted work activity limited to the day of injury makes case recordable | Restricted work activity limited to the day of injury does not make case recordable | Decrease | ||
| Count workdays | Count calendar days | Increase | ||
| No cap on count | 180 day cap on count | Decrease of most severe cases | ||
| Medical treatment does not include:1) Visits to MD for observation only | Medical treatment does not include:1) Visits to MD for observation and counselling only | Decrease | ||
| Mental illness underreported | ||||
| 2 doses prescription medicine ‐ medical treatment (MT) | 1 dose prescription med ‐ MT | Increase | ||
| Any dosage of OTC medicine ‐ first aid (FA) | OTC med at prescription strength ‐ MT | Decrease | ||
| 2 or more hot/cold treatments ‐ MT | Any number of hot/cold treatments ‐ FA | Increase | ||
| Needlesticks and “sharps injuries” ‐ record only if case results in med treatment, days away, days restricted or seroconversion | Needlesticks and “sharps injuries” ‐ record all needlesticks and injuries that result from sharps potentially contaminated with another persons blood or other potentially infectious material | Increase | ||
| TB ‐ positive skin test recordable when known workplace exposure to active TB disease. Presumption of work relationship in 5 industries | TB ‐ positive skin test recordable when known workplace exposure to active TB disease. No presumption of work relationship in any industry | Increase | ||
| Hearing loss ‐ federal enforcement for 25 dB shift in hearing from original baseline | Beginning 1/1/03 record all work‐related hearing loss cases that meet BOTH of the following conditions on the same audiometric test for either ear:1. The employee has experienced a Standard Threshold Shift (STS) AND2. The employee's total hearing level is 25 dB or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS | Increase | ||
*2001 injury and illness data reported under 2002 rule; in most cases wording taken directly from OSHA summary of the new standard.