Arkansas — Workplace Safety

Arkansas does not operate an OSHA-approved state plan. Federal OSHA covers most private-sector employers and workers in the state. State and local government workers are not covered by federal OSHA. Arkansas Occupational Safety and Health (AOSH), a division of the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, administers workplace safety laws for public-sector employees (state agencies, counties, municipalities, public schools, and universities).

Source: OSHA State Plans, Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing – AOSH

Arkansas does not have a single, state-wide statutory or regulatory rule that prescribes the exact methods (phone, fax, online) or documentation requirements for all public-sector employers reporting severe work-related injuries or fatalities. Instead, notification procedures are established by agency-level directives and workers’ compensation instructions, primarily for state agencies.

Agency-level reporting (example: Arkansas Community Correction):

• Under Arkansas Community Correction AD-18-12 (updated February 16, 2022), supervisors must complete the Department of Labor’s Accident/Injury Reporting Form and send it through their Human Resources Section (HRS) so it reaches the Department of Labor within 48 hours after an accident involving a fatality, amputation, or hospitalization. The directive does not specifically mandate phone or online submission; it refers to established internal channels (typically fax or state mail).
• The same directive requires submission of the Workers Compensation Commission Form 1A-1 and a PECD Form 2 (Workers Comp Information Sheet) to the Public Employee Claims Division (PECD) within 10 days if a workers’ comp claim is triggered.

Workers' compensation claim initiation:

• For workers’ compensation cases involving state employees (across agencies), the Arkansas Insurance Department instructs employers to begin claims through the "Company Nurse" telephonic system at 1-855-339-1893. Required forms (Employer’s First Report of Injury, Form N, PECD Form 1, and Form AR-N) must be faxed to PECD at (501) 371-2733. These instructions apply to state agencies, not all public-sector employers such as counties or municipalities.

Documentation and retention:

• These procedural documents direct employers to retain copies of all forms submitted in the claim or reporting process. No Arkansas state statute or regulation was found as of 2026-06-25 requiring public-sector employers to preserve records beyond maintaining a copy of submitted forms.
• There is no authoritative source establishing a mandated method of notification (such as online portal, email, or dedicated phone line) for all public-sector severe injuries beyond those internal agency and workers' comp procedures cited here.

Summary: Arkansas public-sector reporting for severe injuries or fatalities is governed by agency directives and workers’ compensation procedures, not a universal state rule. Most agencies rely on HR transmission of forms to the Department of Labor, phone-based claim initiation for workers’ comp (where instructed), and retention of submitted documentation. No comprehensive statutory or regulatory recordkeeping or notification-method rule exists statewide as of this update.

Source: Arkansas Community Correction AD-18-12, "Reporting & Investigating Incidents, Hazards, and Maltreatment", Arkansas Insurance Dept.—State Employee Claims Instructions

Unable to confirm as of 2026-07-03.

Federal OSHA directly regulates private-sector employers in Arkansas, including all manufacturing, construction, retail, warehousing, healthcare, and other non-public workplaces. When a work-related fatality or severe injury occurs, employers must follow federal OSHA's reporting requirements under 29 C.F.R. § 1904.39.

Triggering events and deadlines:

• Work-related fatality: Federal OSHA requires reporting any employee fatality resulting from a work-related incident. Employers must notify OSHA within 8 hours of learning about the fatality. This rule applies regardless of whether the death occurs immediately or within 30 days of the work-related incident.
• Inpatient hospitalization, amputation, loss of an eye: Employers must report, within 24 hours, any single incident that results in (a) the inpatient hospitalization of one or more employees, (b) an amputation, or (c) the loss of an eye. "Inpatient hospitalization" means formal admission to a hospital or clinic for care or treatment, not just observation.

What is NOT required:

• Reporting is NOT required for motor vehicle accidents on public streets/highways (except in a construction work zone).
• Reporting is NOT required for fatalities or hospitalizations that occur more than 30 days (fatality) or 24 hours (hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss) after the work-related incident.

How to report: Employers may report to OSHA by:

• Calling OSHA’s 24-hour central hotline at 1-800-321-6742;
• Contacting the nearest OSHA area office (for Arkansas, typically Little Rock);
• Using OSHA’s online reporting form (preferred for fastest response).

Federal OSHA’s reporting rule is categorical and has no Arkansas-specific modifications. These requirements are enforced across all private-sector workplaces in the state.

Source: 29 C.F.R. § 1904.39, OSHA Report a Fatality or Severe Injury

As of June 2026, Arkansas Occupational Safety and Health (AOSH) regulations require public-sector employers—including state agencies, counties, municipalities, and public schools—to report any workplace accident involving a fatality, amputation, or hospitalization within 48 hours (Ark. Admin. Code 010.15.7-4(7)). However, the published AOSH regulation itself is silent on the specific civil, administrative, or criminal penalties for a public employer that fails to meet this 48-hour reporting deadline. The text of Ark. Admin. Code 010.15.7-4(7) establishes the mandatory reporting requirement but does not address enforcement mechanisms or possible consequences for noncompliance.

Other sections of the Arkansas code and AOSH web guidance reviewed as of June 2026 do not describe monetary fines, sanctions, or enforcement actions for a public employer's late or missing severe injury report. Nor is there a referenced enforcement or penalty provision within the AOSH rules concerning this reporting—unlike federal OSHA, which prescribes penalties for private-sector non-reporting. The regulatory gap for public-sector reporting penalties may reflect limits in AOSH's statutory authority, or it may be addressed by internal state administrative procedures not published in the Arkansas Administrative Code or on the Department of Labor and Licensing's website.

If AOSH later initiates an investigation or follow-up due to a nonreported fatal incident, practical consequences may include administrative directives, corrective action requests, or escalation to higher executive branches, but none of these are formalized as regulatory penalties in the public record as of this review date.

Unable to confirm a specific penalty provision as of 2026-06-16. Source: Ark. Admin. Code 010.15.7-4(7)

Private-sector employers in Arkansas are covered directly by federal OSHA, not a state workplace safety plan, so recordkeeping requirements in 29 C.F.R. Part 1904 apply in full with no Arkansas-specific changes or overlays.

Which employers must keep OSHA 300 logs Employers must maintain OSHA 300 injury and illness logs if they had more than 10 employees at any point in the previous calendar year. Employers with 10 or fewer employees are "partially exempt"—they do not have to keep routine logs unless specifically requested to do so by OSHA (under § 1904.41) or the Bureau of Labor Statistics (under § 1904.42), both of which require written notice.

Industry exemptions Even if the size threshold is met, some workplaces are exempt due to being in a low-hazard industry, as detailed in Appendix A to Subpart B of 29 C.F.R. 1904. Employers should consult the NAICS codes to see if they qualify for an exemption under this Appendix.

Required forms and timelines For covered workplaces, OSHA requires:

• OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses),
• OSHA Form 301 (Injury and Illness Incident Report) for each recordable case, and
• OSHA Form 300A (Annual Summary).

Each case must be recorded within 7 calendar days of when the employer learns of the recordable injury or illness (29 C.F.R. § 1904.29(b)(3)).

The OSHA 300A summary must be certified by a company executive and posted in a conspicuous place visible to employees from February 1 through April 30 of each year, but only at locations that were in operation during that period (§ 1904.32(b)(5)).

Retention Employers must keep the OSHA 300 log, 301 incident reports, and 300A annual summaries for five years following the end of the calendar year the records cover (29 C.F.R. § 1904.33(a)).

There are no additional state-imposed recordkeeping obligations for private-sector employers in Arkansas—these federal OSHA requirements are the complete set. Source: 29 C.F.R. Part 1904, OSHA Recordkeeping Overview, OSHA State Plans