The U.S. Labor Dept.'s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an important agency with a difficult mission. One thing made clear by OSHA's current leadership is that the agency isn't getting the full picture of what's taking place on U.S. construction sites, partly because of underreporting of injuries and partly because of a lack of timeliness in the information it receives about accidents. To that end, OSHA has proposed changes—and the
comment period has just closed—to Recordkeeping Standard 29 CFR1904. One of the most important changes, for example, would require employers to report all inpatient hospitalizations within eight hours and all work-related amputations within 24 hours.