When to Report to OSHA: Deadlines, Exceptions & Penalties

Employers covered by the Occupational Safety and Health Act must report to OSHA within 8 hours of a work-related fatality and within 24 hours of any work-related inpatient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye. These deadlines apply to every covered employer regardless of size or industry, and missing them can trigger citations of $16,550 or more per violation.1Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties The rules sit in 29 CFR 1904.39, with a few narrow exceptions worth knowing before you assume an incident is or isn’t reportable.

The 8-Hour Deadline for Fatalities

When an employee dies from a work-related incident, you have 8 hours to notify OSHA. The clock starts either at the time of death or at the moment any agent of the employer — a supervisor, manager, or other representative — learns of it, whichever is later.2eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA If the connection between the death and a workplace incident isn’t obvious right away, the 8 hours begins running once that link becomes apparent.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA

The reporting duty applies only if the death occurs within 30 days of the work-related incident.2eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA A death more than 30 days after the incident does not require an 8-hour report, though it must still be entered on your internal injury and illness logs if you keep them.

Heart attacks are treated like any other fatality: report within 8 hours, and the local OSHA Area Office director will decide whether to investigate based on the circumstances.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA OSHA presumes that any injury or illness stemming from an event or exposure in the work environment is work-related unless a specific exception applies, such as the common cold, flu, or a mental illness a licensed professional has not tied to the job.4Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.5 – Determination of Work-Relatedness

The 24-Hour Deadline for Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Eye Loss

You have 24 hours to notify OSHA of any work-related incident that results in an inpatient hospitalization, an amputation, or the loss of an eye.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Report a Fatality or Severe Injury The 24 hours starts when the event happens or when you learn about it, whichever is later.2eCFR. 29 CFR 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA

There is a second 24-hour window that matters just as much: the hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss itself must occur within 24 hours of the work-related incident to trigger reporting. If an employee has an amputation three days after a machine accident, it does not have to be reported under this rule, though it still must be recorded on your injury and illness logs.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA Fatalities get a 30-day window; severe injuries get 24 hours.

What Counts as Inpatient Hospitalization

OSHA defines inpatient hospitalization as a formal admission to the inpatient service of a hospital or clinic for care or treatment. An emergency room visit by itself is not reportable, and neither is a stay solely for observation or diagnostic testing.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Report a Fatality or Severe Injury The 24-hour clock is triggered only when the employee is admitted for actual medical care, such as surgery or wound treatment.

What Counts as an Amputation

An amputation is the loss of all or part of a limb or other external body part. It includes fingertip amputations with or without bone loss, medical amputations resulting from irreparable damage, and body parts that were amputated and later surgically reattached.3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA Even a partial fingertip loss counts.

Incidents You Don’t Have to Report

A handful of work-related fatalities and serious injuries fall outside the reporting rule:

In both situations, the injury or illness still has to go on your OSHA injury and illness logs if you are required to keep them. Other federal agencies, such as the National Transportation Safety Board or the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, may have separate reporting requirements for these incidents.

What to Have Ready When You Call

OSHA needs a specific set of facts before the report counts as complete. Gathering them as the incident unfolds keeps you from scrambling against the clock:3Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.39 – Reporting Fatalities, Hospitalizations, Amputations, and Losses of an Eye as a Result of Work-Related Incidents to OSHA

  • The legal name of the establishment where the incident took place.
  • The physical location of the event.
  • The time of the work-related incident.
  • A brief description of what happened, such as a fall from scaffolding or a chemical exposure.
  • The names of the employees who were fatally injured, hospitalized, amputated, or lost an eye.
  • A contact person at the company and a direct phone number so OSHA can follow up.

How to File the Report

You can reach OSHA three ways:

  • Call the 24-hour hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742), which operates around the clock including weekends and holidays.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Report a Fatality or Severe Injury
  • Use the Severe Event Reporting form on osha.gov, which generates a digital confirmation you can save.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Report a Fatality or Severe Injury
  • Call or visit your nearest OSHA Area Office during business hours. If it’s closed, use the hotline or the online form.5Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Report a Fatality or Severe Injury

Whichever method you use, the report is not complete until all the required data points have been successfully transmitted.

If Your Workplace Is in a State-Plan State

Twenty-two states run their own OSHA-approved plans covering private-sector and state and local government workers, and seven more have plans covering only government employees.6Occupational Safety and Health Administration. State Plans In a state-plan state you report to the state agency instead of federal OSHA. State plans must have reporting rules substantially identical to the federal ones, so the 8-hour and 24-hour deadlines and the required information do not change; only the phone number and portal do.7Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Do I Have to Follow These Rules if My State Has an OSHA-Approved State Plan The state plan directory at osha.gov/stateplans lists the right contact.

Penalties for a Late or Missing Report

A missed report can bring an OSHA citation and civil penalties. As of January 15, 2025, the maximum penalty for a serious violation is $16,550 per violation, and the maximum for a willful or repeated violation is $165,514 per violation.1Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA Penalties These amounts are adjusted annually for inflation, typically effective January 15, so 2026 figures may be slightly higher once OSHA publishes the updated memo.

The size of any penalty depends on your compliance history, the size of the business, and whether the failure appears intentional. OSHA can treat a knowing failure to report as a willful violation, which carries a minimum penalty of $11,524 on top of the higher maximum.8Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSH Act of 1970 – SEC. 17. Penalties A late report can also draw a broader inspection of the facility, which raises the odds of citations for other hazards found during the visit.

Reporting Is Not the Same as Recordkeeping

Reporting means notifying OSHA within the 8-hour or 24-hour deadlines. Recordkeeping means maintaining injury and illness logs — Forms 300, 300A, and 301 — throughout the year.9Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA’s Recordkeeping Requirements The two obligations are commonly confused, and the distinction matters because the exemptions do not line up.

Employers with 10 or fewer employees at all times during the previous calendar year are partially exempt from recordkeeping.10Occupational Safety and Health Administration. 1904.1 – Partial Exemption for Employers With 10 or Fewer Employees Certain low-hazard industries — retail stores, financial services, real estate offices, legal and accounting firms, software publishers, and others on OSHA’s partially exempt industries appendix — are also exempt from recordkeeping regardless of size.11Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Non-Mandatory Appendix A to Subpart B of Part 1904 – Partially Exempt Industries Neither exemption changes the reporting rule. Every employer covered by the OSH Act must report fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses within the required timeframes, no matter how few employees they have or which industry they operate in.