The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is committed to improving workplace safety. To further this objective, the agency requires most employers to maintain accurate and updated records of injuries and illnesses that occur on the job.
If your business falls under these mandatory reporting requirements, compliance is not an option. Failing to fill out the necessary OSHA forms or failing to have them available can lead OSHA to impose significant fines on your business.
Understanding OSHA’s Recordkeeping Requirements
OSHA safety documentation and recordkeeping requirements obligate employers in almost every industry to keep records pertaining to certain workplace injuries and illnesses. These records are critical to both you and OSHA because they assist in identifying workplace and industry safety trends, which allows you to take steps to protect workers.
What Industries Must Comply with OSHA Recordkeeping Requirements?
If you have over ten employees, there is a strong likelihood that you must meet OSHA recordkeeping requirements. There are only a few industries that are deemed to be low-risk and thus partially exempt from these obligations, including the following:
- Investigation and security services
- Doctors’ and dentists’ offices
- Jewelry, clothing, and shoe stores
- Religious organizations
- Providers of legal services
- Other designated industries
Even these industries are only partially exempt from OSHA recordkeeping requirements, though. A partial exemption means that you do not have any mandatory reporting requirements unless OSHA tells you in writing that you do.
Learn more about OSHA recordkeeping exemptions.
OSHA Injury & Illness Recordkeeping Forms
To meet OSHA recordkeeping requirements, you must complete three OSHA forms: Form 300, Form 300A, and Form 301. Completing these documents when any workplace injury or illness occurs is paramount to meeting your obligations and avoiding penalties.
OSHA 300, OSHA 300a, and OSHA 301
OSHA Form 300 is a log that lists all workplace injury and illness events that occur within a given year. You must complete a new Form 300 each year. The document asks for details about each workplace incident, including identifying information about the event, a description of the injury or illness, and the results or outcome. Your Form 300 must be kept up to date at all times.
The second document, Form 300A, is completed at the end of each year. It serves as a summary of all workplace injury incidents and illnesses. On Form 300A, you report the total number of deaths, various injuries, and days missed from work, among other details.
The third and final form, Form 301, is completed for each separate workplace injury or illness. This document describes each incident in greater detail than Form 300 allows. This form should be completed at the same time you update Form 300 with a new incident.
Common OSHA Recordkeeping Mistakes to Avoid
Not every workplace incident needs to be reported on your OSHA forms. You should report any incidents that result in death, hearing loss, loss of consciousness, work restrictions, medical care beyond simple first aid, or any time missed from work. There are other incidents that do not need to be reported, and familiarizing yourself with these can keep you from developing an unnecessarily poor safety record and inviting unnecessary scrutiny from OSHA.
Remember, too, that you must keep a separate Form 300 for each business and each location that you own. Finally, you should keep in mind that it’s important to report injuries and illnesses that befall temporary workers as well as those that affect your regular workforce.
Failing to report workplace injuries and illnesses can lead to significant fines — up to $14,502 per violation.
Contact Safety By Design for Professional Safety Management Services
You do not want to run afoul of OSHA’s recordkeeping requirements. If you are not familiar with how to meet your obligations, it is best to get help now before an OSHA inspection happens and they discover violations. Contact Safety By Design. Our experienced team will assist you in learning the ins and outs of OSHA reporting so that your businesses remain compliant and avoid unnecessary penalties.
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