Pipeline Explosion (at a small business): is it recordable?

Question

A pipeline inspection company is hired for some work on an existing line. All five of the company’s inspectors are contributing to the project. On the day that the two owners show up to check on their team, there is an explosion that hospitalizes three of the inspectors for two weeks. Is it recordable?

Answer

YES. Although the pipeline inspection company only has seven employees, companies with less than 10 employees still must report hospitalizations.
1904.1(a)(1) If your company had 10 or fewer employees at all times during the last calendar year, you do not need to keep OSHA injury and illness records unless OSHA or the Bureau of Labor Statistics informs you in writing that you must keep records under § 1904.41 or § 1904.42. However, as required by § 1904.39, all employers covered by the OSH Act must report to OSHA any work-related incident that results in a fatality, the in-patient hospitalization of one or more employees, an employee amputation, or an employee loss of an eye.

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.1

• 1904.1 Small employer exemption
• 1904.39 Reporting fatalities & severe injuries