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Injured While Shaving at Work
Question:
An employee must shave his face for a respirator fit test at work. He is provided a brand new, pre-packaged razor and shaving cream, and completes a shave of his face. The employee ends up suffering from razor burn on his neck, which leads to a mild infection that a doctor prescribes antibiotic treatment for. Is it recordable?
Answer:
NO. Even though infection was the result of a work related task for respirator fit testing, OSHA does not require injuries or illnesses that result from “personal grooming” to be recordable. Shaving is personal grooming.
1904.5(b)(2) Are there situations where an injury or illness occurs in the work environment and is not considered work-related? Yes, an injury or illness occurring in the work environment that falls under one of the following exceptions is not work-related, and therefore is not recordable.