Sec. 1. 26 MRSA §2, as corrected by RR 1995, c. 2, §57, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

§2. Reports of deaths and injuries

1.__Reports of deaths.__The person in charge of any workplace as defined in section 1 provided by the State, a state agency, a county, a municipal corporation, a school district or other public corporation or political subdivision shall, within 8 hours after the occurrence, report in writing or by telephone to the Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards the death of any person in the workplace or on the premises, stating as fully as possible the cause of the death and the place where the deceased person has been sent and supplying other information relative to the death that may be required by the director who may investigate the causes of the death and require such precautions to be taken as will prevent the recurrence of similar events.__A statement contained in any such report is not admissible in evidence in any action arising out of the death reported.

2.__Reports of serious physical injuries.__The person in charge of any workplace as defined in section 1 provided by the State, a state agency, a county, a municipal corporation, a school district or other public corporation or political subdivision shall, within 24 hours after the occurrence, report in writing or by telephone to the Director of the Bureau of Labor Standards all serious physical injuries requiring immediate hospitalization sustained by any person in the workplace or on the premises, stating as fully as possible the extent and cause of the injury and the place where the injured person has been sent and supplying other information relative to the injury that may be required by the director who may investigate the causes of the injury and require such precautions to be taken as will prevent the recurrence of similar events.__A statement contained in any such report is not admissible in evidence in any action arising out of the accident reported.

3.__Serious physical injuries defined.__"Serious physical injuries," as used in this section, means an incident that results in an amputation, loss or fracture of any body part or that necessitates immediate hospitalization.

SUMMARY

This bill reduces the time frame in which a public employer