Why Record Keeping Matters
OSHA requires employers to track workplace injuries and illnesses for several important reasons:
- To help identify patterns of injuries and hazards
- To improve workplace safety programs
- To provide data for research and prevention efforts
- To ensure workers' compensation claims are properly processed
- To protect workers' rights to a safe workplace
Who Must Keep Records
Most employers with more than 10 employees must maintain injury and illness records, with some exceptions for certain low-hazard industries. Construction employers typically do not qualify for these exemptions.
Even exempt employers must still:
- Report severe injuries (fatalities, hospitalizations)
- Keep records if specifically asked by OSHA
- Participate in the annual OSHA injury survey if selected
What Must Be Recorded
Employers must record work-related injuries or illnesses that result in:
- Death
- Days away from work
- Restricted work or transfer to another job
- Medical treatment beyond first aid
- Loss of consciousness
- Significant injury diagnosed by a healthcare professional
- Any needlestick or sharps injury with potential bloodborne pathogen exposure
What Is NOT Recorded
- Minor injuries requiring only first aid
- Injuries that happen during commuting
- Common colds or flu
- Mental illnesses (in most cases)
- Injuries from voluntary participation in wellness programs
- Injuries from personal tasks unrelated to employment
- Injuries from personal grooming or self-medication
Required OSHA Forms
OSHA Form 300: Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
- Lists each recordable injury or illness
- Includes brief description of what happened
- Classifies each case by severity
- Must be maintained for each establishment
OSHA Form 301: Injury and Illness Incident Report
- Detailed information about each recordable case
- Must be completed within 7 calendar days of learning about an incident
- Contains employee and employer information, treatment details, and description of the incident
OSHA Form 300A: Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses
- Annual summary of all recordable cases
- Must be posted from February 1 to April 30 each year
- Must be signed by a company executive
- Must be displayed in a location where notices are normally posted
Electronic Reporting Requirements
Large employers (250+ employees) and certain high-risk industries must submit their injury data electronically to OSHA. This includes many construction companies.
Reporting Severe Injuries
All employers, regardless of size or industry, must report:
- Any work-related fatality within 8 hours
- Any work-related inpatient hospitalization within 24 hours
- Any work-related amputation within 24 hours
- Any work-related loss of an eye within 24 hours
Reports can be made by:
- Calling the nearest OSHA office
- Calling the OSHA hotline at 1-800-321-OSHA
- Reporting online at www.osha.gov
Your Rights to Access Records
As an employee, you have the right to:
- Review the current and stored OSHA 300 Logs
- Request a copy of the OSHA 301 form for injuries involving yourself
- See the posted OSHA 300A Summary each year
- Have an authorized representative access these records on your behalf
- Have records provided by the end of the next business day after requesting them
Privacy Concerns
For certain "privacy concern cases," the employee's name is not entered on the OSHA 300 Log:
- Injuries to intimate body parts
- Sexual assault cases
- HIV infections or hepatitis cases
- Tuberculosis cases
- Needle stick injuries
- Mental illness cases
Common Record Keeping Mistakes
- Missing the reporting deadlines for severe injuries
- Not recording injuries that receive medical treatment
- Failing to update records when new information becomes available
- Not maintaining records for the required 5-year period
- Not posting the 300A summary during the required timeframe
- Discouraging employees from reporting injuries