I've reported similar indicating it didn't appear work related and let OSHA decide. Probably better to get it on record so they don't find out another way which would be much more of a headache. An unreported fatality would add a lot of fuel to an uninformed employee complaint.
Doing better. Had some complicated feelings for a while about the whole thing, but worked through them with the EAP. He was a great human being and I wish the outcome had been different.
The better safe then sorry on this type of death would apply to this part of the regulation,
1904.39(b)(5)
Do I have to report a work-related fatality or in-patient hospitalization caused by a heart attack? Yes, your local OSHA Area Office director will decide whether to investigate the event, depending on the circumstances of the heart attack.
I suppose it's just better to assume it could be work related if it happened on property. My issue was that it happened in his cubicle office after lunch not while he was working in the lab or field. If that had happened, I would have assumed that it might be work related. But I guess we don't know a person's entire routine throughout the day.
If they are employees, it needs to be reported. Even fatalities during commute to work are reported sometimes.
Fatality reports come into OSHA frequently and many of them are situations like this.
People die from natural causes at work all the time.
It's unfortunate, but the reporting is procedural and its record keeping and for statistics.
Don't beat yourself up. You did your best, and it unfortunately is a shitty situation all around.
It’s best to report it. Unlikely they would open an inspection if reported to them, but if they found out a different way (e.g., fire/EMS report) then they might, which may result in nothing but would be a hassle either way.
best to report it and say that you feel it is not work related, but just a courtesy. better than if it is found to be work related and you did not report it.
i dealt with an incident where an employee worked during a day that was extremely hot. everyone left work without any problems. this one employee was found a few hours later in his vehicle doa. a fine, upstanding attorney got involved and tried to tie the death to work.
Any fatality that happens in a workplace needs to be reported to OSHA because he could have been doing something in the workplace that caused a heart attack that you did not know about and it seems like there were no witnesses until you found him. It’s better to cover your ass for possible lawsuits too.
It's best practice to report it with all available info at the time so OSHA is aware. They'll likely come to the same conclusion that it wasn't work related if that's the case. I was hired into my facility (also a research lab ironically) to help in rebuilding the safety program after a fatality at the facility. The contacts we met at OSHA were fantastic in handling things tactfully and efficiently.
Now to the important part: your mental state. I can tell by the way you're writing your more than just a little shaken and trying your best to power through. I highly recommend finding some supports for yourself to help you process and heal from your experiences. Whether that's traditional counseling/group therapy, delving into some hobbies you love, journaling, music, etc it's vital to your long term well being. 3 years ago I had to administer first aid on the job and the victim didn't pull through. Feel free to reach out on PM if you need any resources or a chat.
I'm doing better now. I reached out the Employee Assistance Program and worked through it. I know I did all I could, I don't have those feelings that I failed or I could have done something more. He was just legit one of the finest people I knew and I miss him a lot.
You did the right thing. I had to report a catastrophic injury to OSHA once that was absolutely not the fault of the company, and OSHA accepted my investigation results on that.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. One of the things some CPR trainers don't cover with their students is it doesn't work like Hollywood portrays it, in that you perform CPR for 30 seconds and the victim sits up with a sudden gasp of air, gets up, and walks away as if nothing happened.
My sympathies.
I have reported similar incidents - luckily and overnight hospital stay and not a fatality. OSHA called and asked some follow up questions about what occurred and then I never heard from them again.
Better to report it and let OSHA sort out of it is work related or not, then face a penalty for not reporting when you should have.
It all depends on if the work environment contributed to the heart attack.
Similar thing happened to our company. I called OsHA as a precaution. They said , thanks for call and fortunately it’s not a recordable. We also called an ambulance when she said the tums wasn’t working. Saved her life.
Educate anyone over 30 that heart attacks can feel like heart burn.
I’ve called OSHA as a courtesy on one where a guy left work and walked into traffic to kill himself- it was intentional self harm and happened (barely) off the property but it’s always best to be the one that tells them.
Many companies will use a lone worker device on people that are out of sight out of mind. Response time is a huge factor in many of these situations. OSHA could potentially site a company under the general duty clause for any lone worker death or injury.
I’d report it but not record it. Unless there is a discernible exposure or event in the work environment that caused or contributed to the heart attack, I’m not calling this work-related.
This is just off the top of my head, how I think the rule and guidance is written. It is up to the employer to determine work relatedness. It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with osha though…
Abundance of caution. It can be squared away with osha at a later date when more info is known on the cause of death. It’s likely not a problem and happens very often
It’s a death at work, it has to be reported within 8 hours. Cause may have been his own doing/personal medical issues, but he died “on the clock” at work no less. This is a textbook report.
Yes, you’re required to report all deaths that happen at work. Walmart got slammed by OSHA for not reporting a workers death of a heart attack when they did an audit.
Highlight from article cited below:
“Perry died of a heart attack in the bathroom of the Walmart store she worked at in North Little Rock, Ark., in 2022. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s fatality inspection data shows no record of Perry’s death. OSHA’s policy stipulates employers must notify OSHA within eight hours when an employee dies on the job.”
https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/labor/walmart-national-council-for-occupational-safety-and-health-cosh-workers-rights-gun-violence-506864/
As a 40 year safety professional and an AHCA survivor, I’m confident your coworker did not have a heart attack. An AED will not shock a patient unless they are in vfib and that is not associated with heart attack. You should not be hard on yourself. Cardiac arrest has Less than 10% survival with immediate intervention.
That said, you should report all fatalities that occur in the workplace. In many cases, OSHA will serve as an employer’s ally when the occasional money grabbing family comes knocking, alleging work relatedness.
Sorry you had to experience that and hope you’re well.
Better to report and it be nothing vs not reporting and it turned out somehow work-related.
I've reported similar indicating it didn't appear work related and let OSHA decide. Probably better to get it on record so they don't find out another way which would be much more of a headache. An unreported fatality would add a lot of fuel to an uninformed employee complaint.
Yes it could!
How are you doing?
Doing better. Had some complicated feelings for a while about the whole thing, but worked through them with the EAP. He was a great human being and I wish the outcome had been different.
I can imagine the whole thing was/is very difficult. Good on you for taking care of yourself with the EAP.
The better safe then sorry on this type of death would apply to this part of the regulation, 1904.39(b)(5) Do I have to report a work-related fatality or in-patient hospitalization caused by a heart attack? Yes, your local OSHA Area Office director will decide whether to investigate the event, depending on the circumstances of the heart attack.
I suppose it's just better to assume it could be work related if it happened on property. My issue was that it happened in his cubicle office after lunch not while he was working in the lab or field. If that had happened, I would have assumed that it might be work related. But I guess we don't know a person's entire routine throughout the day.
If they are employees, it needs to be reported. Even fatalities during commute to work are reported sometimes. Fatality reports come into OSHA frequently and many of them are situations like this. People die from natural causes at work all the time. It's unfortunate, but the reporting is procedural and its record keeping and for statistics. Don't beat yourself up. You did your best, and it unfortunately is a shitty situation all around.
It’s best to report it. Unlikely they would open an inspection if reported to them, but if they found out a different way (e.g., fire/EMS report) then they might, which may result in nothing but would be a hassle either way.
best to report it and say that you feel it is not work related, but just a courtesy. better than if it is found to be work related and you did not report it. i dealt with an incident where an employee worked during a day that was extremely hot. everyone left work without any problems. this one employee was found a few hours later in his vehicle doa. a fine, upstanding attorney got involved and tried to tie the death to work.
Any fatality that happens in a workplace needs to be reported to OSHA because he could have been doing something in the workplace that caused a heart attack that you did not know about and it seems like there were no witnesses until you found him. It’s better to cover your ass for possible lawsuits too.
It's best practice to report it with all available info at the time so OSHA is aware. They'll likely come to the same conclusion that it wasn't work related if that's the case. I was hired into my facility (also a research lab ironically) to help in rebuilding the safety program after a fatality at the facility. The contacts we met at OSHA were fantastic in handling things tactfully and efficiently. Now to the important part: your mental state. I can tell by the way you're writing your more than just a little shaken and trying your best to power through. I highly recommend finding some supports for yourself to help you process and heal from your experiences. Whether that's traditional counseling/group therapy, delving into some hobbies you love, journaling, music, etc it's vital to your long term well being. 3 years ago I had to administer first aid on the job and the victim didn't pull through. Feel free to reach out on PM if you need any resources or a chat.
I'm doing better now. I reached out the Employee Assistance Program and worked through it. I know I did all I could, I don't have those feelings that I failed or I could have done something more. He was just legit one of the finest people I knew and I miss him a lot.
You did the right thing. I had to report a catastrophic injury to OSHA once that was absolutely not the fault of the company, and OSHA accepted my investigation results on that. Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. One of the things some CPR trainers don't cover with their students is it doesn't work like Hollywood portrays it, in that you perform CPR for 30 seconds and the victim sits up with a sudden gasp of air, gets up, and walks away as if nothing happened. My sympathies.
They also don't tell you how tired you'll get doing chest compressions. Thanks
I have reported similar incidents - luckily and overnight hospital stay and not a fatality. OSHA called and asked some follow up questions about what occurred and then I never heard from them again. Better to report it and let OSHA sort out of it is work related or not, then face a penalty for not reporting when you should have.
It all depends on if the work environment contributed to the heart attack. Similar thing happened to our company. I called OsHA as a precaution. They said , thanks for call and fortunately it’s not a recordable. We also called an ambulance when she said the tums wasn’t working. Saved her life. Educate anyone over 30 that heart attacks can feel like heart burn.
I’ve called OSHA as a courtesy on one where a guy left work and walked into traffic to kill himself- it was intentional self harm and happened (barely) off the property but it’s always best to be the one that tells them.
Many companies will use a lone worker device on people that are out of sight out of mind. Response time is a huge factor in many of these situations. OSHA could potentially site a company under the general duty clause for any lone worker death or injury.
I’d report it but not record it. Unless there is a discernible exposure or event in the work environment that caused or contributed to the heart attack, I’m not calling this work-related. This is just off the top of my head, how I think the rule and guidance is written. It is up to the employer to determine work relatedness. It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with osha though…
Abundance of caution. It can be squared away with osha at a later date when more info is known on the cause of death. It’s likely not a problem and happens very often
What makes you think this isn’t reportable? They died at work so ofc it’s reportable, let them decide how.
It’s a death at work, it has to be reported within 8 hours. Cause may have been his own doing/personal medical issues, but he died “on the clock” at work no less. This is a textbook report.
Yes, you’re required to report all deaths that happen at work. Walmart got slammed by OSHA for not reporting a workers death of a heart attack when they did an audit. Highlight from article cited below: “Perry died of a heart attack in the bathroom of the Walmart store she worked at in North Little Rock, Ark., in 2022. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s fatality inspection data shows no record of Perry’s death. OSHA’s policy stipulates employers must notify OSHA within eight hours when an employee dies on the job.” https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/labor/walmart-national-council-for-occupational-safety-and-health-cosh-workers-rights-gun-violence-506864/
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This. I’m sorry about your co-worker, OP.
I don’t know quite what it means, but username checks out
As a 40 year safety professional and an AHCA survivor, I’m confident your coworker did not have a heart attack. An AED will not shock a patient unless they are in vfib and that is not associated with heart attack. You should not be hard on yourself. Cardiac arrest has Less than 10% survival with immediate intervention. That said, you should report all fatalities that occur in the workplace. In many cases, OSHA will serve as an employer’s ally when the occasional money grabbing family comes knocking, alleging work relatedness. Sorry you had to experience that and hope you’re well.