OSHA Rules for Injury and Illness Recordkeeping and Reporting
Have you wondered what those OSHA rules actually require? Do questions about what is recordable or reportable leave you puzzled? This article breaks down the basics to demystify OSHA injury and illness tracking for workplaces.
Who Needs to Keep Records?
You likely need to keep records if: Your company has more than 10 employees (a few low-risk industries are exempt even then)
Why 10? OSHA thresholds often differ once a workplace exceeds 9 workers. More people means more risk. So, injury tracking helps OSHA spot trends to better protect larger groups long-term.
Wonder if you still need to track injuries in a small branch office? The total company headcount determines requirements – not each individual site.
What Counts as Recordable?
Document these incidents in the OSHA logs:
- Employee deaths on the job
- Lost time beyond the day of injury
- Restricted duty or job transfer due to injury
- Loss of consciousness connected to work incident
- Significant diagnosed illnesses like cancer or fractured bones tied to exposures on the job
Not everything requires extensive paperwork though. You can handle minor events needing basic first aid in-house without formally recording each one. But how do you distinguish between first aid vs. more serious recordable cases?
Where is the Line for First Aid?
As the name implies, first aid refers to initial quick care given on-site not anything debilitating or tied to restrictions:
- Using bandages and antiseptics
- Cleaning small cuts that don’t require stitches
- Applying cold compresses to bruises
- Drilling teeth to relieve root pain
Once an employee misses work to recover further or needs medical care like prescriptions, surgery, or physical therapy, you pass the first aid only stage.
How Should It Be Documented?
What Form Do You Need?
The OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries summarizes each recordable case. Detail the employee’s name, job title, where the event occurred, the injury type, and number of lost or restricted workdays for every case. Update this form throughout the calendar year as incidents occur.
Come February 1st, pull data from the past year’s cases to complete the 300A Annual Summary. This breakout allows OSHA to review injury trends across entire industries.
Where Does the Information Go?
Store records for at least 5 years on-site where employees can access them. Post the 300A publicly at the workplace every year from February 1 through April 30 so your team stays aware. Having trouble displaying reports conveniently where staff will see them? Ask your safety coordinator for advice.
Specific high-risk industries also submit data electronically to OSHA through their Injury Tracking Application (ITA). But all sites need to maintain injury reports locally even if you meet the criteria to file online too.
When is Immediate Reporting Needed?
While the logs cover trends long-term, you must speak up right away about serious incidents like:
Fatalities – Notify OSHA within 8 hours when a death occurs on the job. This timely head’s up allows OSHA to decide if an on-site inspection is warranted to prevent future loss of life.
In-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye – Contact OSHA within 24 hours when one of these severe outcomes results from a workplace incident.
Not sure if a situation meets recordable criteria? Don’t delay reporting – call your local OSHA office for guidance when limited timelines apply. They can walk you through next step requirements.