Q155 - Thief Pursuit

Nate Braymen
Apr 11, 2021
1 min read

Question:

A thief is spotted stealing materials from a yard. An employee gives chase and after several minutes of pursuit far outside of company property, after running into a road, the employee is struck by a fast-moving vehicle and breaks multiple bones. Is it recordable?

Answer:

YES. The employee was injured in the work environment (anywhere the employee is as a condition of his employment) and was significantly injured. Letter of Interpretation: In the January 19, 2001, 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."