A change in reporting requirements means Wyoming employers will have to notify the state’s workplace safety regulators after the hospitalization of any worker.
The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services is currently only notified about fatalities and catastrophes—incidents when three or more workers are hospitalized—but new rules from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration now require employers to report when anyone gets hurt on the job and lands in the hospital.
“This rule change gives us an opportunity to get on work sites where OSHA might be needed the most,” said John Ysebart, the director of standards and compliance for Workforce Services.
There are currently nine compliance inspectors in Wyoming who are responsible for following up on all serious workplace incidents.
“Not each and every one of these [reports] will require an on-site inspection. Many of them will,” Ysebart says, adding that he's not sure how much extra workload it will add for his department.
The new reporting requirements will go into effect as soon as they’ve been signed off on by the attorney general and governor.
