1. Getting Started
2. OSHA Recordkeeping Forms
3. Is This Recordable?
4. OSHA Reporting
FAQs About Getting Started With OSHA's Recordkeeping:
Q: Where can I find the OSHA Recordkeeping Packet?
A: Download it here!
Q: When does the OSHA 300A form need to be posted?
A: February 1st to April 30th
Q: Who is required to maintain injury and illness records?
A: Employers with more than ten employees and whose establishments are not classified as a partially exempt industry must record work-related injuries and illnesses using OSHA Forms 300, 300A and 301. Employers who are required to keep Form 300, the Injury and Illness log, must post Form 300A, the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illness, in a workplace every year from February 1 to April 30. Current and former employees, or their representatives, have the right to access injury and illness records. Employers must give the requester a copy of the relevant records by the end of the next business day.
Q: Are any industries exempt from OSHA's Recordkeeping Requirements?
A: Yes. Partially exempt industries include establishments in specific low hazard retail, service, finance, insurance or real estate industries. OSHA has updated the list of industries that, due to relatively low occupational injury and illness rates, are exempt from the requirement to routinely keep injury and illness records. The new rule maintains the exemption for any employer with 10 or fewer employees, regardless of their industry classification, from the requirement to routinely keep records of worker injuries and illnesses.
OSHA Recordkeeping Forms:
Q: What are the requirements with the OSHA forms?
A: You must use the OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 forms, for recordable injuries and illnesses. The OSHA 300 form is called the Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, the 300A is the Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses, and the OSHA 301 form is called the Injury and Illness Incident Report.
Q: Who is supposed to sign the OSHA 300 log and where does the signature go? Refer to 1904.32(b)(4).
A: A company executive must certify the log. Company executives are considered to be the owner of the company, officer of the corporation, highest ranking company official, or immediate supervisor of the highest ranking company official. The company executive should sign only the 300A form and the signature should go in the bottom right hand corner. The 300A needs to be signed and be posted starting February 1 through the end of April.
Q: What is the difference between the 301 and the 300 forms in the recordkeeping packet? Refer to 1904.29(b)(1) and 1904.29(b)(2).
A: The 301 is the incident report, you use it to record all types of injuries/incidents. The 300 form is used to record only recordable injuries (medical treatment beyond first aid, death, days away from work, job transfer).
Q: Which form has to be posted and for how long? Refer to 1904.32(b)(5).
A: The 300A will need to be posted from February 1st through April 30th each year.
HOW SOON AFTER AN INJURY DO I NEED TO UPDATE MY OSHA 300 LOG?
Q: How soon after an injury do I need to put the injury on the OSHA log? What type of injuries do I need to report on OSHA log and what not? Are there any injuries that I need to call into OSHA to inform them of the injury?
- All fatalities must be reported to OSHA within 8 hours of the incident.
- All work-related inpatient hospitalizations, amputations, and loss of an eye must be reported within 24 hours of the incident.
- All OSHA-recordable injuries/illnesses must be entered on the log within 7 days of the injury or illness.
A: OSHA classifies the following types of injuries below as a “recordable” injury:
- Fatality (You also have to report it to OSHA within 8 hours.)
- Injury that caused days away from work
- Injury that caused restricted work or had the employee transfer to another job
- Medical treatment beyond first aid. 1904.7(b)(5)(i)(C)
- Loss of consciousness
OSHA RECORDKEEPING IN DIFFERENT CALENDAR YEARS
Q: We have an employee who was injured in late 2014 and was on restriction days beginning in 2014 but also overlapping into 2015. Do all of the restricted duty days get recorded in the year that the injury occurred even if they occurred in the following year. If not, how do we record a 2014 injury along with its 2015 restricted days on a 2015 log? Refer to 1904.(b)(3)(ix).
A: According to OSHA, you only record the injury or illness once. You must enter the number of calendar days away for the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log for the year in which the injury or illness occurred. If the employee is still away from work because of the injury or illness when you prepare the annual summary, estimate the total number of calendar days you expect the employee to be away from work, use this number to calculate the total for the annual summary, and then update the initial log entry later when the day count is known or reaches the 180-day cap.
HOW TO CALCULATE INCIDENT RATE OF OSHA RECORDABLE CASES AND LOST WORKDAY CASES
Q: How do you calculate the following:
A: The OSHA Recordable Incident Rate (or Incident Rate) is calculated by...
- Incident Rate of Recordable Cases
- Incident Rate of Lost Workday Cases
INJURED ONE YEAR, MISSED NEXT YEAR: HOW TO RECORD INJURY ON OSHA 300 LOG?
Q: I have an employee who was injured in 2013 and has missed work all of 2014. Do I record his missed days in the 2014 OSHA 300 log? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix).
A: According to OSHA, you are only required to record an injury or illness once. You must enter the total number of calendar days away in the OSHA 300 Log for the year in which the injury occurred. You may “cap” the total number of days away at 180 calendar days. Therefore, in your case entering 180 days in the 2013 OSHA log would be sufficient.
Is This Recordable?
OSHA requires certain employers to complete the OSHA packet each year and have the 300A Summary form posted by February 1st. Filling out the OSHA 300 packet and also trying to determine what is, or is not considered a recordable injury can be confusing at times. For this reason, Lancaster Safety Consulting, Inc. (LSCI) hosts an annual Recordkeeping webinar which is available for free! Register for one of our webinars today by clicking here.
Q: What is recordable under OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements?
A: OSHA’s definition of work-related injuries, illnesses, and fatalities are those in which an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the condition. In addition, if an event or exposure in the work environment significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING FOR SUBCONTRACTOR INJURY
Q: Do we need to include recordable injuries of our subcontractors in the field that aren't on our payroll, but are paid through purchase orders?
A: You must record the recordable injuries and illnesses that occur to employees who are not on your payroll if you supervise these employees on a day-to-day basis. If the subcontractor's employee is under the day-to-day supervision of the subcontractor, the subcontractor is responsible for recording the injury or illness. If you supervise the subcontractor employee's work on a day-to-day basis, you must record the injury or illness. It would be recommended to have a contract in place with all subcontractors to distinguish who is liable for safety and the overall supervision of the workers. You want to eliminate the possibility of having the injury recorded on two separate companies’ OSHA 300 logs.
IS GETTING STITCHES AN OSHA RECORDABLE INJURY?
Q: An employee cut their thumb on Monday and reported it to a supervisor. The cut didn't look to severe so it was wrapped with a bandage. On Tuesday, the employees went to Med Express and they put in 10 stitches. Is this recordable incident? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii) for more information on what OSHA outlines as 'first aid' treatment.
A: Yes, because the cut required stitches, which are considered medical treatment beyond first aid measures, then it would be considered a recordable incident.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING FOR KNEE INJURY
Q: We had an employee twist their knee in the shop. They went to the hospital for a medical evaluation and received a prescription for pain medication. Does that count as a recordable injury? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(A). Find out about the 2015 recordkeeping changes here and contact us for any questions!
A: Yes, since the employee was given a prescription, you would need to record the injury.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING - PRE-EXISTING CONDITION
Q: An employee was working onsite and climbed under a pipe to reach the area of equipment that he was servicing. He felt a sharp pain in his knee and went to the doctor for diagnosis. The employee was given a prescription for pain medication and is waiting for further evaluation. Is this considered a recordable incident if the employee had a pre-existing knee injury? Refer to 1904.5(a).
A: Yes! If the injury/illness is work-related or if an event or exposure in the work environment significantly aggravates a pre-existing injury or illness then it would be considered a recordable incident.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY INCIDENT
Q: We have an employee who went to the doctor for a sore knee after lifting heavy items at work. An x-ray was taken and showed no injury so they set up the employee for a couple of weeks of physical therapy. Does the physical therapy make this an OSHA recordable incident? He has no work restrictions. Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(M).
A: The doctor's medical recommendation of physical therapy, which is considered to be medical treatment, deems this incident as recordable.
STEPPED ON A NAIL
Q: If an employee stepped on a nail and had to miss the rest of the day for medical evaluation, is it considered a day away from work and therefore recordable? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3) and 1904.7(b)(3)(i).
A: No, you begin counting the days away from work on the day after the injury occurred or the illness began.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING FOR TETANUS SHOT
Q: Do I record an injury that required a tetanus shot? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(B). Don't miss our annual recordkeeping webinar that goes over tricky recordkeeping questions like this one!
A: No, administering tetanus immunizations is considered first aid.
GENERAL CONTRACTOR REPORTS SUB CONTRACTOR INJURY - RECORDABLE?
Q: Does the general contractor have to record a subcontractor injury on a site that is the general contractor?
- Here is what OSHA requires in section 1904.31:
- OSHA requires employers to record the recordable injuries and illnesses of all their employees, whether classified as labor, executive, hourly, salaried, part-time, seasonal, or migrant workers.
- Employers are also required to record the recordable injuries and illnesses of all employees they supervise on a day-to-day basis, even if these workers are not carried on the employer's payroll.
- Day-to-day supervision generally exists when the employer "supervises not only the output, product, or result to be accomplished by the person's work, but also the details, means, methods and processes by which the work objective is accomplished."
- OSHA assigns the responsibility for recording and reporting to the employer with the greatest amount of control over the working conditions that led to the injury or illness.
- Multi-employer worksite OSHA regulations can be confusing, contact us for further verification.
A: It would be best to determine the actual relationship the general contractor has with the subcontractor and determine if the information below applies:
RECORDING AN INJURY: AWAY FROM WORK 1YR
Q: We had an employee who was injured last year and their medical treatment status has carried over to the following year. The case is now in litigation with our workers' comp carrier to determine if the employee is still considered 'injured.' We are aware of the 180 day-cap for recordkeeping purposes, but do we have to report the full 180 days as this incident has gone back and forth now for almost a year? Also note, if the employee leaves your company for some reason unrelated to the injury or illness, such as retirement, a plant closing, or to take another job, you may stop counting days away from work or days of restriction/job transfer. If the employee leaves your company because of the injury or illness, you must estimate the total number of days away or days of restriction/job transfer and enter the day count on the 300 Log. Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix).
A: You must enter the number of calendar days away for the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log for the year in which the injury or illness occurred. If the employee is still away from work because of the injury or illness when you prepare the annual summary, estimate the total number of calendar days you expect the employee to be away from work, use this number to calculate the total for the annual summary, and then update the initial log entry later when the day count is known or reaches the 180-day cap.
RECORDING INJURY THAT REQUIRED STITCHES
Q: An employee cut his finger and received stitches. Does this have to be recorded on our OSHA 300 log? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(D).
A: Yes, any injury that required medical attention beyond first aid must be recorded on the log.
LOST FINGER-TIP AN OSHA RECORDABLE ACCIDENT?
Q: We had an employee cut the tip of his finger off and went to the hospital. The employee was given a prescription. Is this a recordable incident? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(A), 1904.39(a)(2), and 1904.39(b)(11).
A: Yes, it would be considered a recordable since the employee was prescribed medication and the finger was partially amputated. The amputation would also need to be reported to OSHA within 24 hours.
RECORDKEEPING FOR AN EYE INCIDENT
Q: I'm filling out my OSHA 300 form for an accident from last year. The employee got something in their eye. They didn't feel the need for any treatment but we sent them to the emergency room. The emergency room flushed their eye and released the employee without any other medical attention or follow-up. How do we record this incident? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(3).
A: Due to the fact that the medical professional only flushed the eye with solution to cleanse the employee's eye, did not forceps to remove the irritant, or recommend any time off/restricted work then this incident would not be recordable.
RECORDKEEPING FOR PRESCRIBED MASSAGES
Q: If an employees is sent by a Doctor to a physical therapist for several visits to receive massages is that a recordable case? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(M).
A: You must consult the physical therapist and determine if the treatment would be considered massage therapy or physical therapy. If the treatment is considered massage therapy then the injury would not be recordable. If the therapist considers the treatment to be physical therapy then it would be considered recordable.
RECORDKEEPING FOR CHIROPRACTOR VISIT
Q: Is a visit to the chiropractor considered medical treatment? Refer to Preamble Discussion: Section 1904.7 (66 FR 5968-5998, Jan. 19, 2001).
A: For recordkeeping purposes, OSHA does not distinguish between first aid and medical treatment cases based on the number of treatments administered. If a chiropractor provides observation, counseling, diagnostic procedures, or first aid procedures for a work-related injury then the case would not be recordable. If the chiropractor provides medical treatment and/or prescribes work restrictions for the employees then this case would be recordable.
RECORDKEEPING WHEN ACCIDENT HAPPENED IN A DIFFERENT YEAR FROM THE SURGERY
Q: We had an injury at the end of 2012 where an employee twisted his knee falling into a trench. He went to a doctor, completed his physical therapy, and it was decided he needed surgery. The surgery took place in January 2013. Do I need to record this as a new incident in 2013? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix).
A: No, because the injury originally occurred in 2012 you will want to include it on the OSHA forms for that year only. You do want to make sure to update the days away from work and include the days from 2012 and 2013.
RECORDKEEPING FOR A VEHICLE STRUCK BY ACCIDENT AFTER WORKDAY
Q: Is this case recordable? An employee was struck by a vehicle while walking to his car after a day of work. He went to the emergency room and received X-rays and was recommended for light duty. Refer to 1904.5(b)(1).
A: Yes, this case would be recordable because the employee was injured in the company parking lot which is considered to be the work environment.
ACCIDENT ON THE WAY TO WORK
Q: If an employee is injured in a car accident on the way to or from a job site and the accident does not occur in the parking lot or access road - is the accident is recordable? Refer to 1904.5(b)(2)(vii).
A: If the employee was on their normal commute to work in a motor vehicle accident then the case would not be recordable. OSHA considers the employee's commute from home to work to end, once he or she arrives at the work environment (i.e. parking lot, office, jobsite, etc.) or when he or she starts traveling "in the interest of the employer."
RECORDKEEPING FOR TEMP AGENCIES
Q: Does the temporary personnel agency or the supervised host employer responsible for recording an injury or illness? Refer to 1904.31(b)(2) and 1904.31(b)(4).
A: The host employer must record the recordable injuries and illnesses of employees not on its payroll if it supervises them on a day-to-day basis.
RECORDKEEPING IN DIFFERENT CALENDAR YEARS
Q: If an employee was injured in 2012 and continued to miss days in 2013, do I need to record this on the 2013 log? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix).
A: No, the incident needs to only be recorded for the year in which the incident actually occurred.
RECORDKEEPING WHEN OUR COMPANY WAS BOUGHT OUT
Q: If a company gets bought out midway through the year to new ownership, how does management fill out the recordkeeping forms? Refer to 1904.34.
A: As the employer, you are responsible for filling out the OSHA recordkeeping forms only for the period of the year during which you owned the establishment. For example, if you own a company until June, you would fill out the average number of employees, hours worked, injuries, etc. from January to June. The new owner would then be required to fill out the OSHA forms for July to August.
RECORDABLE: DAYS AWAY FROM WORK
Q: An employee fell on the snow/ice and hurt his leg and the doctor prescribed several days off of work. Is this recordable?
A: Yes, this incident is recordable since the injury occurred while the employee was at work and it resulted in days away from work.
HOW TO RECORD AN INJURY WITH VOLUNTARY DAYS AWAY FROM WORK
Q: An employee was injured and went to the emergency room for a fractured pinky and received stitches. The ER said to follow-up to have the stitches removed in a week but did not recommend any days away from work. The employee chose to take 3 days off prior to having the stitches removed. Do I need to count that as ‘days away from the worksite? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(iii) and 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(D).
A: No you do not need to could the days away from work as the employee voluntarily took days off from work and it was not a medical recommendation. It would still be considered a recordable incident due to the medical treatment of sutures.
RECORDING DAYS AWAY FROM WORK IN DIFFERENT CALENDAR YEARS
Q: Two employees were injured in 2013 and returned to full duty in 2014. Do I count the days away from work that occurred in 2014 or just 2013’s time? Do I record these cases on the 2014 log as well?
A: Record both injuries as ‘new cases’ on the 2013 log only. You should count the total number of days away from work for both years and record the number only on the 2013 log. Remember you can cap the number of days if it reaches 180.
RECORDKEEPING FOR TEMP EMPLOYEES
Q: We occasionally use agency temporary personnel. I should be including their hours worked in the total hours worked. Do I also include them in the headcount or only a fraction for them as the temps work a few days to a few weeks at a time.
A: Here’s the equation for calculating the average number of employees:
- Add the total number of employees your establishment paid in all pay periods during the year, including full-time, part-time, temporary, seasonal, salaried, and hourly.
- Count the number of pay periods your establishment had during the year. Be sure to include any pay periods when you had no employees.
- Divide the number of employees by the number of pay periods.
- Round the answer to the next highest whole number.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING FOR A MINOR FINGER CUT
Q: Does this scenario need to be recorded on the OSHA 300 log? The employee cut his finger and went to the hospital, the hospital did not use stitches or give him a prescription. He did not return to work that day but was there the next day.
A: No, you do not need to record this event since only first aid treatment was rendered and the employee did not miss any days away from work or was not put on restriction/job transfer.
RECORDKEEPING FOR RESTRICTED DAYS IN DIFFERENT CALENDAR YEARS
Q: An employee was injured in 2013 and was on restricted duty for 86 days. In 2014, he will have an estimated 21 days away from work. Do you record both or only the worse of the two?
A: You will want to count all of the days on your 2013 log. Record the total number of days on restricted duty and estimate the number of days that the employee will be away from work. After the employee returns to full duty, you will need to go back to the 2013 log and update it with the actual numbers.
RECORDKEEPING FOR TEMP EMPLOYEES
Q: Do we need to include temporary employees on our OSHA logs? Refer to 1904.31(b)(2) and 1904.31(b)(3).
A: Yes, if the employees are under direct supervision of your company.
RECORDKEEPING FOR 11 EMPLOYEES
Q: If we only have 11 employees, are we required to do recordkeeping? Refer to 1904.1(a)(2).
A: Yes. OSHA requires all companies with 11 or more employees to keep their injury and illness logs up to date.
RECORDING CALENDAR OR WORK DAYS
Q: When counting days away from work or light duty, do I count work days or calendar days? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(iv). Find recordkeeping tools at our website!
A: You want to count all calendar days that the employee is off, up to 180.
RECORDKEEPING WHEN WORKING 2 WEEKS ON AND THEN 2 WEEKS OFF
Q: If we are working 2 weeks on and then 2 weeks off, do we need to record the two weeks off for an injured employee? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(iv).
A: Yes, the case needs to be recorded for each of the days that he is away from work including the 2 off weeks even though the rest of the company is also not working those days.
RECORDKEEPING FOR NO INJURIES
Q: What do I need to do if we didn’t have any recordable injuries in 2012? Post a copy of the annual recordkeeping summary (OSHA’s Form 300A) from February 1-April 30 in an area where company postings are usually kept.
A: Complete the 300 log and the left portion of the 300A with zeros. Fill the right side (company information) of the 300A completely, have the highest ranking company official sign and date it, and post it in an area where information is usually conveyed to employees.
NEEDLE STICK INJURY
Q: Do needle sticks need to be recorded on the OSHA 300 log if the source was negative or if the source was positive and the employee did not develop disease? Refer to 1904.8(a).
A: Yes, all work-related needle stick injuries and cuts from sharp objects that are contaminated with another person’s blood or other potentially infectious material must be recorded as an injury.
RECORDKEEPING FOR BACK INJURY
Q: An employee hurt their back and was given a prescription but they did not miss any work. Is this recordable? Refer to 1904.47(b)(5)(ii)(A). LSCI will answer your safety questions and more! Try using OSHA's Recordkeeping Advisor Tool.
A: Yes, it is recordable because the employee was prescribed medicine.
RECORDKEEPING FOR CAR ACCIDENT
Q: An employee rolled his truck on his way to a job this morning. He appears to be OK, but was sent to the hospital for X-rays. Is this recordable?
A: If there is medical attention beyond first aid or lost/restricted work days, it needs to be added to their logs. The X-rays are not considered recordable since they are a diagnostic procedure. OSHA does not consider diagnostic procedures a form of medical treatment.
RECORDKEEPING: RETURNING TO WORK DATE - PHYSICIAN RECOMMENDATION VS. EMPLOYEE
Q: How do I handle a case when a physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the worker return to work but the employee stays at home anyway? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(iii).
A: In this situation, you end the count of 'days away from work' on the date the physician or other licensed health care professional recommends that the employee return to work.
RECORDKEEPING FOR INJURY & THEN SURGERY
Q: An employee gets injured in 2011, but does not miss any work and is not put on restricted duty/job transfer. In 2012, that employee finds out he needs surgery form the injury and misses a month of work in 2012. How would this be inserted in the OSHA 300 logs? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix).
A: All of the information would be inserted in the 2011 OSHA 300 form. The date of the injury would be the date the injury actually occurred even though the employee did not miss any work or was not put on restricted duty/job transfer because of that injury at the moment. Then count the days the employee missed because of the surgery and insert that information in the days away for that same injury.
RECORDKEEPING - COUNTING RESTRICTED WORK DAYS
Q: How do you count the lost work/restricted days on the OSHA 300 log? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(v)-(vi) and 1904.7(b)(4).
A: You'll need to count all the days away from work starting the day after the employee was injured (even if it’s a weekend, or an employee is not scheduled). When the employee returns for restricted/light duty, count those days until they returned to full duty.
RECORDKEEPING FOR INJURED EMPLOYEE OUT FOR > YEAR
Q: One of our employees slipped on ice and hurt their neck. They were off for more than a year. Is there a limit to days that need to be recorded?
A: OSHA states the days away from work are capped at 180. This is noted in the following regulation: · 1904.7(b)(3)(vii) Is there a limit to the number of days away from work I must count? Yes, you may "cap" the total days away at 180 calendar days.
RECORDKEEPING IN DIFFERENT CALENDAR YEARS
Q: When filling out the 300 logs what do you do for an injury that occurred in one year, but that employee is still injured and he still is unable to return to work for the next calendar year?
A: The answer is found under 1904.7(b)(3)(ix). You only record the injury or illness once. You must enter the number of calendar days away for the injury or illness on the OSHA 300 Log for the year in which the injury or illness occurred. If the employee is still away from work because of the i...
RECORDKEEPING - LIGHT DUTY?
Q: An employee was instructed to keep a wound finger “clean and dry.” Would this be considered light duty? Refer to 1904.7(b)(4) - (b)(4)(ii).
A: As long as the employee can perform his normal job duties, this would not be considered light duty.
RECORDKEEPING FOR LIGHT DUTY
Q: An employee was on light duty in 2011. Do I have to carry this over to my 2012 log? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix).
A: No, all days should be recorded on the 2011 log.
RECORDKEEPING FOR 9 PEOPLE
Q: Are there any exceptions for us with recordkeeping since we only have 9 employees? Refer to 1904.1(a)(1).
A: As long as you have fewer than 10 employees throughout the year you would be exempt.
RECORDKEEPING FOR EMPLOYEE AWAY FROM WORK > 180 DAYS
Q: An employee was injured in 2011 and will be away from work for >180 days. Do I have to put this on my 2012 log in addition to 2011? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(vii) and (b)(3)(ix).
A: The injury should only be counted in the year that the injury occurred. All 180 days should be counted in 2011.
OSHA 300 RECORDABLE INCIDENT FOR EYE ACCIDENT
Q: An employee got a piece of metal in his eye and he was taken to the emergency room to remove it and was given a one-time use nonprescription eye drops. He later returned to work the same day. Is this an recordable injury? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(J).
A: No, this would not be considered a recordable incident because the foreign object in the eye was removed by eye drops, not forceps, and because there is no loss of work day or restriction/job transfer.
RECORDKEEPING FOR ER INCIDENT
Q: An employee was struck by a piece of equipment in the face and went to the ER, they were physically observed by a physician and it was determined there was no other injuries besides bruising on their face, they did not miss any work; is this recordable? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5(i) and 1904.7(b)(5)(ii).
A: If there was no other treatment besides an observation and basic first aid, then no it is not recordable.
RECORDKEEPING FOR FINGER INJURIES
Q: An employee had recently fractured a finger, received stitches in another, and missed days away from work; is this recordable? Refer to 1904.7(b)(3) and (b)(5)(ii)(D).
A: Yes, their treatment would be considered medical treatment and they missed days from work.
RECORDKEEPING FOR STITCHES
Q: If an employee was injured and needed stitches, does this count as a recordable injury? Refer to 1904.7(b)(5)(ii)(D).
A: Yes, sutures are considered medical treatment.
RECORDKEEPING FOR BROKEN ARM
Q: If an employee falls on ice in the company parking lot during company time and breaks their arm, is this recordable? Refer to 1904.5(a).
A: Yes, the incident would be a recordable injury because the employee was on company premises as a condition of their employment.
What to Report to OSHA
Q: What accidents need to be reported to OSHA?
A: Report work-related fatalities right away - no longer than 8 hours. Work-related amputations, losses of an eye, or impatient hospitalization of a worker must be reported within 24 hours.
Q: Do I need to report my OSHA recordkeeping forms to OSHA?
A: You'll need to summit the injury and illness data by March 2nd if you have:
- 20-249 employees classified with historically high rates of occupational injury & illness (refer to 300A Table)
- 100+ employees in designated industries (refer to Appendix D)
- 250 or more employees that are not exempt (refer to Appendix A)
- Still unsure? Use OSHA's Injury Tracking Application | Occupational Safety and Health Administration
LIGHT DUTY EMPLOYEE OSHA RECORDKEEPING QUESTION
Q: If an employee quits during "light duty" do I have to continue to count the days that he works until released to full duty?
A: If the employee leaves your company for some reason unrelated to the injury or illness, such as...
OSHA RECORDKEEPING WITHIN DIFFERENT YEARS
Q: An employee was diagnosed with carpal tunnel in 2014 and was approved for surgery at this time. However, he postponed the surgery until September in 2015 due to a sickness in his family. Do we record the injury on both the 2014 OSHA 300 log and the 2015 OSHA 300 log?Refer to 1904.7(b)(3)(ix) and 1904.33(b)(1).
A: Regarding the employee's carpal tunnel injury in 2014 and medical treatment in 2015, it is necessary to record the injury when it originally occurred in 2014. The details of the injury, days away/on restriction should be logged only on the 2014 OSHA 300 log as they pertain to the original injury. Any updates to the employee's treatment should also be reflected on the 2014 OSHA 300 log. Make sure you are retaining all OSHA 300 logs for 5 years following the year that they cover and update them during that period as needed.
OSHA RECORDKEEPING ON MULTI-EMPLOYER WORKSITE
Q: If a subcontractor's employee has a work-related injury should it be recorded on the OSHA 300 log of the General Contractor or the subcontractor's? Refer to 1904.31(b)(3).
A: The injury only needs to be recorded once. If the general contractor is responsible for that employee's day-to-day supervision, it would need to be recorded their OSHA log. If the subcontractor is responsible for the employee's day-to-day supervision, they would record it on their OSHA log.
