OSHA Strengthens Rules Protecting Workplace Injury Reports

OSHA strengthens rules protecting workplace injury reports

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration, or OSHA, is a federal organization that bears primary responsibility for overseeing workplace safety in the state of North Carolina. They have recently instituted a set of rule changes that promise to safeguard a worker’s ability to report workplace injuries. A major part of these rules is set to phase into action Aug. 10.

OSHA wants every American worker to feel free to tell them about safety problems in their place of work. To that extent, they require all employers to post a placard detailing important information about injuries, illnesses and ailments related to work.

They also require that the policies for reporting the injury be reasonable, and no pressure must be put on the worker to make them not report the injury. Although OSHA said in a statement that they thought most companies already observed these provisions, their addition to the rules was designed to provide protection to every worker at every level. Special provisions were also added for minority employees and others who might face some form of illegal discrimination in their workplace.

Workers who have suffered an injury at their place of work have a right to workers’ compensation payments as they recuperate and recover their health. If their employer chooses to deny the full extent of their workplace injury, possibly as a form of retaliation against the employee, then the employee may choose to withdraw their extant claim and file a civil suit against them for the full amount of the damages. An attorney can help to determine if it is necessary or financially reasonable to close out a claim in order to pursue a civil suit.