OSHA requires employers to record work-related incidents that result in broken or chipped teeth [US]

In an interpretation letter dated November 12, 2015, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reinforced its view that work-related injuries that result in a broken or chipped tooth are recordable injuries.

OSHA issued the interpretation letter in response to an inquiry into whether OSHA’s recordkeeping regulations required recording these injuries, since the applicable section, 29 CFR 1904.7(b)(7) requires the recording of a “fractured or cracked bone.” OSHA acknowledges that while bone and teeth are not the same, its longstanding position is that fractured teeth are a significant injury and illness. In the preamble to the final rule revising the recordkeeping regulation, OSHA explained that “work-related cancer, irreversible diseases, fractures of bone or teeth and punctured eardrums are generally recognized as constituting significant diagnoses, and if the condition is work-related, are appropriately recorded at the time of the initial diagnosis even if, at that time, medical treatment or work restrictions are not recommended.” Tooth-related incidents, while recordable, are only reportable to OSHA when they result in in-patient hospitalization.

Red-on-line EHS Legalist

Sources:

OSHA Interpretation Letter, “Clarification on the recording of injuries involving broken or chipped teeth,” November 12, 2015

Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 29 CFR 1904

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