CSLB Contractor's Law & Business Practice Exam

Which of the following incidents would not have to be reported to DOSH immediately or within 24 hours?

1. Death from a three-story fall.

2. Drunken crane operator hits a high-voltage power line.

3. Car accident in which an employee gets hit by a car and suffers a concussion.

4. Employee falls off forklift and suffers a severe back injury.

The correct answer is: Car accident in which an employee gets hit by a car and suffers a concussion.

The reason that a car accident where an employee suffers a concussion does not have to be reported to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) immediately or within 24 hours is due to the nature of the incident. Reports to DOSH are generally required for serious workplace incidents that involve significant injury, illness, or death, particularly those that can be directly tied to work conditions or practices. In this case, while a concussion is indeed a serious injury, it is specifically related to a car accident, which may not necessarily be considered a workplace incident as defined by DOSH regulations. The accident may occur outside the scope of work activities or while the employee is commuting, which typically does not trigger the same reporting requirements as incidents that happen directly as a result of work tasks or during working hours at the worksite. Unlike the other incidents listed, which involve clear work-related injuries resulting from falls or other accidents that occurred in the workplace or during the performance of work duties, the car accident falls into a different category that does not require immediate reporting to DOSH.