Q11 - Plane Crash

Question:  An employee is traveling for work on a commercial airline when her plane crashes and she is seriously injured. The injuries are so severe that she is hospitalized. Is it recordable?

Answer: YES, it is recordable. Travel for work is not excepted under OSHA recordkeeping and injuries that occur while an employee is on travel status are considered work-related. Normally, a hospitalization must be reported to OSHA in 24 hours. This incident does not need to be reported to OSHA in 24 hours because it was a result from a commercial flight. It still must be added to the OSHA log.  ​ 1904.5(b)(6) How do I decide whether an injury or illness is work-related if the employee is on travel status at the time the injury or illness occurs? Injuries and illnesses that occur while an employee is on travel status are work-related if, at the time of the injury or illness, the employee was engaged in work activities "in the interest of the employer." Examples of such activities include travel to and from customer contacts, conducting job tasks, and entertaining or being entertained to transact, discuss, or promote business (work-related entertainment includes only entertainment activities being engaged in at the direction of the employer).

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