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When hospitalization triggers OSHA incident reporting

Summary An employer asked when multiple employee hospitalizations had to be reported under then-current OSHA rules. OSHA said an employee counted as hospitalized when admitted on an inpatient basis; emergency-room and other outpatient care did not count. OSHA archives the letter and warns it may no longer represent current policy.
Document
Federal opinion letter
Agency
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Document number
1994-02-22
Date issued
February 22, 1994
Status
Archived by the agency
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent current policy.
Status last verified October 9, 2026
Topics
Workplace Safety OSHA 1904 Recordkeeping Hospitalization
Source
View the official document

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The current status of this document is unclear
OSHA labels this an archive document and warns that it may no longer represent current policy. It may no longer reflect the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.

NOTICE: This is an OSHA Archive Document, and may no longer represent OSHA Policy. It is presented here as historical content, for research and review purposes only.

February 22, 1994

Ms. Monica Verros, R.N., C.O.H.N., C.C.M.
Occupational Health Advisor
IBP, Inc.
[Recipient address omitted]
Dear Ms. Verros:

Thank you for your letter dated February 11, requesting an interpretation regarding the reporting requirements for incidents involving the hospitalization of multiple employees under 29 CFR 1904.8.

For reporting purposes, an employee is considered to be "hospitalized" when that employee is admitted to the hospital on an "in-patient" basis. Accordingly, emergency room and all other forms of out-patient care are excluded from the reporting requirement. Please be aware that revisions to the requirements under 29 CFR 1904.8 are nearing finalization and are expected to be published in the Federal Register in the immediate future.

I hope you find this information useful. If you have any further questions, please contact us at Area Code (202) 219-6463.

Sincerely,
Bob Whitmore
Chief
Division of Recordkeeping Requirements

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